Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said this Sunday that he will leave the pine tree planted in the Belem Palace so that the Presidents of the Republic who succeed him in office will never forget the tragedy of the forest fires of 2017.
The head of state voiced this idea at a lunch to celebrate the Day of Portugal, Camões and the Portuguese communities in Castanheira de Pera with the mayors of municipalities affected by the 2017 forest fires, especially the districts of Leiria and Coimbra.
This year, the President of the Republic decided to celebrate this date in three municipalities of the Leiria district affected by the fires of 2017: Pedrogão Grande, Figueiro dos Vinhos and Castanheira de Pera.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa then explained to reporters the purpose of the idea to take a small pine tree from this area in the interior of the Leiria region and grow it in the Palacio de Belém in Lisbon.
“They offered me a pine tree from 2017, that is, revived from a fire that year. And although we know that efforts must be made – and in many cases they are made to have rocks that burn less – this symbolically means that the following: Whoever is the President of the Republic and is in the Palace of Belém, the focus of his attention will be the memory about the fires of 2017,” he said.
In total, more than a hundred people died in the 2017 fires in Portugal. The fire, which broke out on June 17, 2017 in Pedrogan Grande and spread to neighboring municipalities, resulted in the death of 66 people and more than 250 injuries, seven of them serious, as well as the destruction of half a thousand houses and 50 businesses.
With this pine tree in the Belém Palace, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said he intends to emphasize the idea that “all Presidents of the Republic, all Prime Ministers, all Governments and Parliaments must worry about not repeating 2017.”
“When I started the idea of being here a year ago [as comemorações do Dia de Portugal], this was considered crazy, because not everyone in the three municipalities at the same time is poor. The idea was not to let anyone forget and to give reason for hope to those who were born here, who have the right to be first-class Portuguese, as first-class as those born in richer places,” he stressed.
According to the head of state, these demands, which he leaves to his successors from 2026, aim to emphasize that territorial unity “is a commitment for every day in Portugal and for every day in Portugal.”
“I will be the president of the republic for another year and a few months (seven or eight), then there will be other presidents of the republic. Portugal will never cease to exist, and it is to be hoped never again, during Portugal’s future existence. will there be what we experienced in 2017,” he added.
Speaking about his lunch with mayors and inter-municipal communities in areas affected by the 2017 fires, the head of state emphasized the “solidarity” shown between these mayors.
“First of all, they talked about the future and how it might be necessary to change something in the CCDR (Commissions for the Coordination of Regional Development) law to increase the weight of the municipalities, and how decentralization could open up good opportunities for the idea warning if a faster response is possible. This is happening in conditions where, in addition to the mayors, military leaders, as well as members of the government, were present at the dinner, he noted.
When asked whether he agreed with the idea of the need to review the law regulating CCDR, the head of state replied that this task would fall on the shoulders of mayors, who “will only have to present it to the government.”
“They were [no almoço] several members of the government,” he noted, hinting at the presence of Defense Minister Nuno Melo, Internal Administration Minister Margarida Blasco and Youth and Administrative Modernization Minister Margarida Balceiro Lopez.
“I told the mayors: imagine [a proposta de mudança de lei] and if necessary go to the assembly [da República]. We are trying to solve everything necessary,” he said.
Regarding the economic and social situation of municipalities within the national territory, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa generally argued that “it is necessary to create means and incentives for people to live” in these areas of the national territory.
“This means easier access, favorable taxes, social and community opportunities that will enable family members, children and young people to settle into the future. It means a dirty word called cohesion. Cohesion is about correcting existing inequalities,” he added.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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