immigration policy
The issue of “immigration” has been dividing opinions in the political class and in Portuguese society, in which immigrants are seen as those who do what many Portuguese people do not accept doing, they are exploited and do not see their rights respected, due to the lack of supervision and severe punishment of offenders.
Immigrants are thus an easy and attractive target for temporary work companies and recruiters, who take advantage of their lack of knowledge, exploiting their weaknesses and needs, but where the first culprit of these abusive behaviors is the legislator, whose concerns do not include the prevention of these regrettable situations that contribute to denigrate the image of the country that was supposed to welcome.
If, according to some, Portugal needs immigrants, the fire in the Mouraria area is a reflection of the lack of previously established rules regarding their reception. The political class acts without warning that the open-door policy in a country with high levels of poverty can lead to an increase in it.
Americo Lourenco, Sines
Is Estamo active?
Housing needs in Portugal are well known. However, time passes, and no government decision is taken that solves the housing problem in a structural way. Strangely, the 2021 Census shows that Portugal has more than 700,000 vacant homes. Therefore, one cannot speak of a shortage of supply. Also strangely, the State itself has a lot of vacant real estate, but nothing is known about how Estamo is managing our assets. I therefore suggest that PÚBLICO interview António Furtado, who is currently the executive chairman of Estamo and who manages assets valued at one billion euros. I believe that at a time when more and more people live in the most precarious housing or even on the street, exceptionally, the State should transfer to the municipalities, such as Lisbon, part of our vacant assets to solve the most serious and urgent housing problems .
Duarte Figueira, Lisbon
Saving certificates and their interest
The news was highlighted: the State raised the interest rate on savings certificates to 3.4%. For those with money to save, the news seems to be satisfactory, because banks only offer depositors much lower interest rates, reduced to insignificance by bank charges imposed on customers.
Will the State then be congratulated? In terms of competition with banks, it could be said that yes, because it is evident that this way it manages to attract savers to itself, financing itself more easily. But in relation to those who hoard some values to be able to face life’s misfortunes, or to add what is necessary to the acquisition of goods that are indispensable to them, this measure by the State is no longer compensatory or to be praised, because the rate of certificates is much lower than the rate of inflation, and this means that the money invested (?) in certificates will devalue by 5 or 6%. This is a path to the impoverishment of families. But behold, an emeritus banker came to the fray declaring to the media that, no sir, the Government even exaggerated in the new rate of certificates; all he had to do was set it at 2% to attract savers. And maybe he’s right. High finance undoubtedly has superior mastery in the art of impoverishing people.
Antonio Reis, Vila do Conde
Prescriptions: crime and sin
I read and amazed! The age limit for a person who was a victim of sexual abuse as a child to file a complaint is 23 years in the criminal law of common law. That age rises to 38 years in canon law. As we know that the Church tends to favor sin over crime and since the punishment, in both cases, is totally different for offenders, I can only draw one conclusion: the Portuguese State takes very little care of victims of abuse, for as long as (not ) gives them to internalize the suffering and express it to Justice. Apparently, the Church is more “benevolent”, although it seems to me that this is allowed because it does not “believe” in crimes and because it considers that sins are “punished at home”.
Note: I would like to advise you to read the interview with Prof. Daniel Sampaio in PÚBLICO yesterday. And I hope (?) that in the next VMY the superfluous expenditures will not be omitted. I also recommend reading the Independent Commission’s report on child sexual abuse.
Fernando Cardoso Rodrigues, Porto