Presidential candidate Henrique Gouveia e Melo is “embarrassed” by the failure of three Canadair planes, deeming it “unacceptable” and a sign of “the collapse of the organization.” He declared, “We cannot continue to improvise. This is the state of improvisation.”
In a recent social media message, the candidate criticized the repeated failures in combating countrywide fires, drawing parallels to past tragedies.
- Presidential candidate Henrique Gouveia e Melo expressed deep concern over the failure of three Canadair planes.
- He criticized the ongoing “state of improvisation” in national fire response efforts.
- Gouveia e Melo linked the current situation to historical fire failures, including the Pedrógão Fire.
- He advocates for forest economy development, interior repopulation, and planned, organized state responses.
- The candidate vowed to combat these issues if elected President.
Gouveia e Melo, in a two-minute video, pointed out that year after year, fires continue to devastate forests and the environment. He implied that lessons from the Pedrógão Fire, which occurred seven or eight years prior, have not been learned, stating, “What I see today on television… is exactly the same situation.”
The presidential hopeful emphasized the unacceptability of three critical air assets—the Canadair planes—being simultaneously out of commission. “There are structural failures that have to be resolved and have to be fought,” he asserted. He described feeling “completely embarrassed as an agent of the state, as Portuguese” by this failure, explaining it represents “the collapse of the organization.”
As a former military officer, who appeared in past operations supporting fire-affected populations (serving as deputy chief of staff of the Armada in 2017), Gouveia e Melo stressed the need to “develop an economy of the forest” and “settle the interior again.”
He argued against the current state of depopulation in over half the country’s territory, characterized by low housing density. “We have to do forest planning, deforestation, replace some species, combat some economic interests of monocultures,” he stated. He called for a united, solid, organized, and planned state response to fire prevention and fighting, reiterating, “We cannot continue to improvise. This is the state of improvisation.”
Gouveia e Melo specifically called for addressing “some economic interests of monocultures.”
“I, if elected as President of the Republic, will do everything to combat this,” he concluded with a promise.
