Africa-Press – Cape verde. The mayors of the Municipal Chambers of Santo Antão manifest themselves, this Saturday, “surprised and perplexed” with the increase in the price of maritime transport without consulting the Association of Municipalities. In this sense, they ask for measures from the Government to mitigate the consequences of this increase in the lives of Santo Antonenses.
The president of the Association of Municipalities of Santo Antão, António Aleixo, on behalf of the mayors, said that the city councils of this island “cannot remain indifferent” to the adoption of this tariff update “in the values of its application”, expressing “their tremendous concern” for the impacts that this new tariff will have on services, companies, economic operators and communities.
According to António Aleixo, what is at stake is the “permanent and indispensable mobility that sustains connectivity, unification and complementarity” between the islands of Santo Antão.
Municipalities were not heard
For the updating of maritime transport tariffs, the mayors of Santo Antão understand that, in addition to the Merchant Marine Association and the Consumer Defense Association (Adeco), the municipalities of Santo Antão and São Vicente should also be consulted .
This update, according to the president of the Association of Municipalities of Santo Antão, takes place “in the context of yet another international crisis” of an economic, financial, food, nutritional and energy nature, triggered by the war in Ukraine.
Against price discrimination between nationals and foreigners
The mayors of Santo Antão are against “price discrimination” between foreign and national citizens, considering that this measure will affect tourism on this island.
The mayors therefore demand that the Government “eliminate” this discrimination against foreign citizens “or at least drastically reduce its expression and grandeur” to ensure the competitiveness of the tourist destination of Cape Verde and Santo Antão.
The mayors of Santo Antão also suggest that the Government introduce “mitigation factors” of the impacts of the increases that take into account “the increase in the cost of living, the loss of income, the reduction in purchasing power and the deterioration of conditions of family life”.
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