The PS/Azores Parliamentary Group considers that the Regional Government’s statutory visit to the island of Santa Maria confirmed what the islanders already feel in their daily lives: postponed promises, lack of structural investment, and responses that do not reach the people. They consider this to be “an example of the challenges and obstacles that compromise the economic, social, and territorial cohesion of the region,” an issue that the party intends to debate in plenary this week.

“It was a visit marked by the absence of concrete results, where the President of the Regional Government limited himself to inaugurating routine management projects, which demonstrates the lack of effective work and the inability of the coalition government to respond to the needs of the island,” denounced the PS deputies elected by Santa Maria in a note sent to the press.

“More seriously, it was clear from between the lines of the official speeches that there is a lack of financial resources and that commitments made to Santa Maria have been repeatedly postponed. The President of the Island Council herself admitted that this year’s memorandum is the same as last year’s, a sign that practically nothing has been done,” the Socialists added.

According to Joana Pombo Tavares and João Vasco Costa, in the area of health, the government presented figures showing an increase in consultations and specialties. Still, the reality experienced by the people of Santa Maria is quite different: long waiting lists, users without a family doctor, emergency rooms operating without professionals, and serious cases due to late diagnoses. “Even in the face of the PS/Azores’ complaint about the lack of doctors in April, the government ignored the problem and continues to fail to present solutions.”

The deputies welcome, in turn, the start of work on the Residential Home for people with disabilities, the result of the persistence of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Vila do Porto and funding from the PRR. However, “this response, which will only be ready in over a year’s time, does not solve the social drama on the island, where dozens of people remain hospitalized due to the lack of adequate social response, a direct responsibility of the authorities, which have been neglecting the needs of Santa Maria.”

In the maritime transport sector, the failure to fulfill the promise of a weekly boat service is exacerbating the island’s isolation and increasing the cost of living. “Unlike Graciosa, where this measure has already been implemented, Santa Maria continues to be forgotten. There is talk of territorial cohesion, but what we see is a profound disconnect between Santa Maria and the rest of the archipelago,” the deputies add.

The road network also confirms this neglect: the roads are deteriorating, with no intervention planned, with the government justifying its inaction with the implementation of the PRR-funded bypass—a project that the people of Santa Maria still cannot use, while they continue to drive on roads in terrible condition.

Another example of the government’s lack of interest is the Airport Housing Park, where promises of millions have been repeatedly postponed, with neighborhoods in disrepair and families living in substandard conditions, despite paying rent to the regional government itself.

The PS/Azores also denounces discrimination in support for events that boost the island. With just a few weeks to go before the Santa Maria Rally—one of the biggest tourist events and the biggest sporting event on the island, which attracts visitors and boosts the local economy—the government has still not responded about its usual support, calling into question the staging of the event and showing a lack of respect for its importance for Santa Maria.

“Added to all this is the failure to provide support for sport, the delay in payments to businesses related to COVID-19, the lack of dialogue on the part of the Regional Secretary for the Sea and Fisheries with fishermen, and the ignorance shown about serious problems such as coastal erosion in the parish of Santo Espírito, revealing a government without direction, without strategy, and which abandons Santa Maria to its fate,” say Joana Pombo Tavares and João Vasco Costa.

“The PS/Azores will remain vigilant, denouncing this neglect and presenting concrete proposals to improve the living conditions of the people of Santa Maria and ensure that the island receives the fair and dignified treatment it deserves in the regional context,” the statement concludes.

In Correio dso Açores-Natalino Viveiros, director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.