At a time when austerity is dogging our every footstep, it comes as no surprise to hear that Madeira’s ruling PSD government has approved a parliamentary budget that gives politicians €5.3 million in lucrative ‘subsidies’.
Amid howls from opposition parties, who condemned the decision as “scandalous” and “excessive”, the vote went ahead last Wednesday with the party of flamboyant president Alberto João Jardim brushing aside motions to cut the controversial grants, on the pretext of urgency.
Público newspaper adds that the subsidies this year are “identical” to those attributed in 2007 when Madeira’s parliament had 68 MPs. That’s 21 more than it has at the moment.
As things stand, the island’s MPs will now receive 14 subsidies next year each one equivalent to 15 times Madeira’s minimum salary, writes Público.
It’s a unique situation. In the Azores, MPs have voted themselves a fraction of this kind of benefit. Indeed, as Público points out, “the budget of the ALM (legislative assembly of Madeira) represents an increase of 2.45% in spending and does not reflect the financial constraints imposed by the region’s Economic and Financial Adjustment programme.”
But it seems this kind of behaviour will not be allowed to continue. The Public Prosecutor is already pushing for the “devolution of funds from subsidies incorrectly used by (Madeira’s) political parties in 2006 and 2007, to a total of €6.6 million”, Público reveals, and the delayed court hearing has now been set for January 13.
In the meantime, the paper reports the PJ is investigating “with a view to the eventual instruction of a crime for public embezzlement against 13 MPs” on Madeira’s legislative assembly.
Aside from the “scandalous” issue of €5.3 million in subsidies, Madeira’s 2014 budget in total comes to €14.6 million.
