Miguel Albuquerque: “English should be impervious to radicalization”

O president of the Madeira Regional Government, Miguel Albuquerque, today argued that the Portuguese should be “impermeable” to radicalization in the issue of housing shortage, stressing that it is necessary to give the central executive time to implement their policies.

“ From a political point of view, we must have a sense of proportion. We must be impervious to radicalization, because it leads to nothing, that is, it leads to extreme positions and nothing will solve ", said the chief of the Madeiran executive to journalists on the sidelines of the visit to a school in the parish of Camacha, in the municipality of Santa Cruz.

Albuquerque considered that with the current challenge they are asking a prime minister who has been in power for about two years “to get thousands of houses ready”, stressing that these “do not arise by spontaneous generation”.

“ We have to have policies, it takes some time, present projects, acquire land”, said the Madeiran ruler, complementing that the situation of appeal to popular mobilization is still “stranger” in Madeira, because the two former mayors of Funchal, who “did no housing”, are now criticizing the policies of the Regional Government in this area.

“ When I was there [presidency of the main municipality of Madeira] I made hundreds and hundreds of houses and these people who come today to complain about the housing, was there, had the popular mandate, exercised power and made no houses. I think there is some cynicism in the middle of all this ", said.

Albuquerque indicated that more than 800 houses have already been allocated in the region and that it intends to build another 300, and in Madeira there is a greater bet of public construction at affordable prices, which includes more than 15,000 people living in 68 projects of the Regional Government.

Asked about the popular assembly that brought together about 100 people, Sunday, in Funchal, in solidarity with the protesters in Lisbon and Porto who protest for the lack of housing – among which were some politicians affected by the PS, BE and the PCP -, who also decided to hold another meeting on Saturday, October 31, to continue preparations for the demonstration on November 14, Albuquerque said that “the Madeirans do not let themselves be manipulated”.

For the insular ruler, there may even be great adherence to these initiatives, which “depends on the capacity of the left and extreme left parties and after the PS”, emphasizing that people “are right to criticize the lack of housing”.

The person responsible countered that in Madeira policies have been applied to solve the problem, with construction of affordable public housing “in all municipalities, in good locations, are not ghettos, are houses built in noble areas, with all comfort conditions”.

It said that hundreds of families are also supported in the value of rents, in the purchase of houses, in the payment of bank loans and that the cooperative housing aspect will be implemented, with the provision of more than 50 apartments in Funchal.

Miguel Albuquerque also announced that he will not be at the meeting of the State Council convened by the President of the Republic, António José Seguro, on November 2 to address the issue of social cohesion, because he will be in Guadalupe to take over the presidency of the Conference of the Overseas Regions.