Africa-Press – Cape verde. The PAICV (opposition) stated today in parliament that farmers and fishermen in northern Santiago feel abandoned, while the UCID advocates for a “proportional” distribution of resources intended to mitigate the damage from the recent rains.
On November 28th, the government, through the media, announced to the country that it had more than 2.3 million escudos to address the damage caused by the recent rains in the northern region of Santiago and that within “a few weeks” farmers would begin receiving subsidies.
Meanwhile, today, in a political statement preceding the plenary session, the largest opposition party lamented the fact that, to date, the government has not yet made available “a single cent” to support the victims of the rains.
Parliamentarian Eveline Ramos, elected on the PAICV lists for northern Santiago, accused the executive of Ulisses Correia e Silva of having announced “on paper” 398,000 escudos for the municipality of São Miguel; R$245,000 for Tarrafal, while Santa Catarina and Santa Cruz received R$146,000 and R$171,000, respectively.
The deputy considers that in this context there is “discrimination” against the municipalities by the government regarding the distribution of financial resources, emphasizing that the largest volume of rainfall occurred in the municipality of Tarrafal, which caused not only the death of one person but also damage to agricultural fields.
In this regard, the UCID deputy, João Santos Luís, intervened, requesting a “proportional” distribution of resources so that the municipalities of Santiago Norte can restore “normal functioning.”
“If an emergency fund exists, it must be made available urgently,” appealed the president of UCID, who also proposed that the municipalities create a “municipal emergency fund” so that, he said, they themselves can act until the government makes funds available to restore normality.
MP Carmen Martins, from the ruling party MpD, contradicting her colleagues from Santiago Norte, specifically those from the PAICV, stated that the executive branch is still conducting assessments of the damage caused by the rains, adding that there is a plan for the “recovery of dikes and wells.”
Carmen Martins also commented that she was witnessing the “temptation” on the part of the largest opposition party to pit “São Vicente against Santiago Norte,” and therefore appealed to the PAICV to “stop this tactic” of putting Cape Verde at “war,” because, she emphasized, the country needs “peace and harmony.”
Reacting to these statements, MP Eveline Ramos stated that while the parliamentarians elected by São Vicente unite to fight for their population, in Santiago Norte, one part “raises the MpD flag” and the other “defends their voters,” referring to the PAICV MPs.
“We must have the same voice to defend the farmers of Northern Santiago,” pointed out the PAICV parliamentarian, elected for Northern Santiago.
Eveline Ramos acknowledged that the Government did indeed visit the towns in the municipalities of the interior of Santiago affected by the November rains, but that, in practice, the promises have not yet materialized.
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