Élvio Sousa, Secretary-General of the Juntos pelo Povo (JPP) party, has accused the Minister of Infrastructure, Miguel Pinto Luz, of suppressing the economic and financial study on the maritime ferry link for passengers and goods between the Autonomous Region of Madeira and the Portuguese mainland. In a formal statement, Mr Sousa said the central PSD/CDS-PP government has shown unusual insensitivity to the mobility needs of island communities. He said the Government of the Republic had moved away from its original promise to open an international public tender for the route and instead ordered a technical report whose deadline ended at the end of May. The JPP leader also criticised the lack of transparency around the document and questioned the terms of reference, arguing that the study was based on the idea “that the ferry connection is inherently deficient.” He further suggested that outside pressure may be influencing the process, referring to complaints from the most recent private operator of the service, and said the Minister was following a flawed strategy. Mr Sousa said the Minister appeared to be using the “DDT” ( Dono Disto Tudo , ‘Owner of Everything’) approach, meaning an operation designed to fail before its expected collapse is used as justification. The largest opposition party in Madeira is now demanding full transparency and is urging the Government of the Republic to publish the report’s findings and make a clear decision on the future of the maritime link.
