In a week where the country’s central bank made a point of stressing that immigrants who come to Portugal ‘are working, and practically none of them receive social security subsidies’, the heartwarming story of Nepalese Raj Bhandari, a mechanic, who has joined Moita ‘bombeiros voluntários’ (volunteer firefighters) puts the shameful right-wing poster campaign of last year into sharp perspective: it was a mean-spirited vote-catching ploy that had no basis in reality.
In Moita, fire station chief Pedro Ferreira, has explained that Raj, 41, actually approached the bombeiros, to see if they would be interested in availing themselves of his services. “He works locally, as a mechanic. He was not a firefighter in his own country, but now he wants to help his community. It is an honour for us,” Ferreira told Correio da Manhã.
There was nevertheless a slight hiccup in the proceedings when ‘an anonymous complaint’ to the Ministry of Internal Administration opposed the fact that ‘a foreigner’ was about to enter the corporation.
The complaint was not taken on board, and Raj was sworn into the Bombeiros de Moita last night, in the presence of his wife, young son, and Prakash Mani Paudel, the Nepali ambassador to Portugal.
He told CM: “I am very happy to be able to take part in the Bombeiros de Moita. I want to help my community.”
In a Facebook post anticipating Raj’s entry into the corporation, the fire station in Setúbal district referred to the “hard year of training” that Raj underwent, in order to qualify.
The post added that there are “immigrants who do not just come here seeking a better life, but to make life better for those that receive them.”
In the insane turmoil of current times, this, at least, is a ‘positive story’ to start the weekend.
Source material: Correio da Manhã/ noticiasaominuto/ facebook
