President Jardim condemned for defaming Gil Canha

The still-president Jardim has at last been condemned to pay 4000 Euros compensation for defamation, though he will surely appeal the decision.

The facts date back to the 2009 election campaign, where a group of Social Democrat youths held a pro-regime demonstration while the New Democracy candidates were protesting against the violation of the election laws.

Several of Jardim's party youth wing held up banners - a smear campaign against the new democracy candidates. One of them accused Canha of being a criminal wanted by the Venezuelan justice system. The accusation was totally gratuitous and the youths holding the banner were sued, whereupon, in court, they pointed the finger at Jardim, saying they had been acting on his orders.

They were condemned and a new case was brought against Jardim. Jardim is clearly seen on all the newsreels telling the police to allow the youths to unfurl the banner, because he was the one who gave orders.

Jardim intensifies attacks on party rival

Jardim has been increasing his attacks on Miguel ALbuquerque, the Mayor of Funchal" in official speeches and in articles written in the Jornal.

Jardim refers to Albuquerque as "politically unemployed" and a "sorcerer's apprentice". In an article written in the Jornal (whose orientation is the responsibility of the Bishop) Jardim wrote that it is necessary to resist the internal enemy "formed by people without scruples or education, of those from the past and the present who have chips on their shoulder, those who are frustrated with life, those who are jealous, mercenaries e even those who despite being well treated do not hesitate to betray and stab one in the back".

Albuquerque says he will not be intimidated by Jardim's deliriums, by obscure fantasies which seek to create ghosts where they don't exist

'What about the pact for democracy?' Reading between the lines

of a typical propaganda article published in the Jornal by Emanuel Janes 

During the last 38 years of (subverted) democracy  in Madeira, there have been various frustrated attempts of unifying the opposition to better combat the Jardinista governance, objective they could never achieve in isolation, as has been proved by successive elections which, ignoring these prophets of doom, have always handed Jardim absolute majorities.

The objective of this opposition, which unfortunately Madeira has (how unfortunate!), has always been to bad-mouth in an attempt to dethrone the PSD and its president, a man who gave his all for his land (like Kim Il Sung, Hitler?), who sacrificed his life, his family (tears well up in my eyes) and his political career (no less), to defend Madeira from the attacks of the colonialists (!!!!), both the local and continental ones. Without him (the heaven-sent one), Madeira would continue to be a colonial district of  medieval land with 'half a dozen camels playing cards at the tables of the Golden Gate' (presumably a quote from the great leader).

We all know that the  political regime in Portugal and the autonomous regions is a democracy, with free and democratic elections (where parliamentary immunity protects PSD members from being prosecuted for totally subverting the elections)…  But the opposition parties, because they do not accept their electoral defeats, calls them into question…All this goes to show how embarrassing and devoid of ideas this opposition is. It makes one laugh (all the way to the bank, I'm sure), when really it should make us feel like crying!

Now, with their fertile imagination, they have drummed up a 'pact for democracy' which has the Regional Government and all its supports laughing their pants off. This pact gathers ALL the opposition parties in a singularly abnormal situation, where you find socialists, catholics, fascists, communists, anarchists, people with chips on their shoulders and morons, in a desperate attempt to defeat Dr. Ablerto João (let me lick his boots some more please) and the PSD. .. 

This childish and offensive drivel goes on like this till the end of the page.

President Jardim insinuates Angela Merkel and Michael Blandy are Nazis

The opinion piece published in the government-owned newspaper, the Jornal , has motivated a protest from the German community. Read Jardim’s rant below:

‘Blandy, aber wer ist?’

Herr Blandy, an individual who inherited an English fortune made in other times when the Madeiran People were miserably exploited, has mobilized his “SS assault troops” – a mongrel corps that ranges from communists to the extreme right and which calls the daily edition of a political pamphlet  “journalism” – to once again attack me and [my] regional politics.

The devil could criticize Madeira and the now unmasked germanophile Blandy would immediately place his legions at the service of evil.

Whatever it costs him, however high the cost to the companies of his group, with his absurd objective of “total war” he finds a pretext even in the unhappy declarations of a German female politician, who we do not confuse with the German People. (…)

Wagnerianly imbued with the “mission” to destroy the PSD and myself, like an excursion of the Nibelungs, Blandy and his “SS assault troops” everyday produce a paper with a longing to destroy everything, to vilify everything, and even more so now that the Country and the Autonomous Region are living their most difficult moments.

Its exactly the practice of all totalitarian forces that, when they foresee difficulties in the areas that they illegitimately detest, to seek to destroy everything in order to conquer easily. Or reconquer. Because there are those who still dream of the power of the pre-autonomy groups.

Only that this tragic delirium, born of mad ambition and condemned to failure, limits itself to listening to a few profoundly stained minions, and forgets ALL those who are also Business people, whose concern is that the present situation be overcome with intelligence and a firm hand. Otherwise, EVERONE  loseS. It is a fantasy to think that an adult society such as the Madeiran one, would allow the “masters of the past” to immorally take advantage of this juncture to swallow up everything on the cheap.

What the media of the obliging Merkelian Blandy is doing with its campaigns of hate and lies against myself and the PSD, cowardly taking advantage of the present circumstances in an attempt to erase the merit of [my] transformation of the archipelago, is too awful and incompetent to succeed in the heart of a Madeiran People, which is used to confronting difficulties and which, despite these, never loses its reason. Much less being crazy enough to return to the Madeira of the old days. At best, the madness of Herr Blandy will entertain a tacky minority.

This time, the rag has resorted to people who it has forgotten warn not to talk rubbish and has produced a text as bad as “mein Kampf”.

For example, there appeared some guy, owner of a restaurant – wer ist?- who has here found the conditions afforded to him to earn a living, something which he does not seem to have enjoyed in his native Country. Another one who “bites the hand that feeds him”. Since he probably never managed to learn Portuguese, he speaks of a nonexistent – quite the contrary – “agressivity towards Germany” (as if Merkel was Germany), and do you know what he wants?... That money should be given to small enterprises – such as his own, of course… - and not for the benefit of the collectivity!...and he has  the ignorant arrogance of saying that “building in Machico was carried out with no planning”!...The effrontery!

Ah, but there follows the nonsense of people who we don’t confuse with the Values of the majority of the German People living on the island. Observe the model of development that those interviewed have destined for us: “take advantage of the natural resources (!?), and not build on them”; “the [old]roads which were hand built” and which should remain open in order that, if an accident happens, they can come and demand compensation.

More: “there is a lack of other interests besides the mountains”. Man, not even the museums, not even the sea and nautical activities, not even the food and the folklore, not even the night, nor the casino, nor the contrasting landscape or the sports infrastructures, including golf, not even the botanical species, nor the hospitality and the permanent relation with our People, not even commerce with competitive prices in relation to tourists’ country of origin, or is it in the places of “Mass tourism” that you find a greater choice?...

I begin to think that there are some naturists around, who steeped in the vegetation, do not know what’s going on around them, even talking about the “Rabaçal cable car” that was never built, since we dropped the project. Now you will find that the Blandy paper, which was always against its construction, will raise a stink because it was never built. (…)

Oh, and the Blandy “assault troops” recruitment did not even neglect the sylph, Herr Delinger, especially chosen for being announced a member of the future socialist government of Madeira, stillborn, given the electoral hiding they received. And I’d not be surprised if this was not also Herr Delinger’s fault.

More. I began to fear for an Austrian “anschluss”. Didn’t the Austrian consul, a coastal madeiran such as myself, also join the party of these Valkyries?!...

Alas, Von Blandy’s daily is always on the path of negativism and of the nihilism of historical sectors of German philosophy. Not that those people know what that is. But because they believe themselves to be the navel of the world, they are convinced that their campaigns to instill hatred will take them somewhere…except there. And Herr Blandy maybe dreams of a new British “reich” over the Madeiran People. But …”Blandy, aber wer ist?”

Portuguese Parliament debate on Madeira’s Democratic Deficit, 1992

In May 1992, the Portuguese Parliament held a debate on the democratic deficit in Madeira. The speech of the Socialist MP, Jaime Gama, addressed the issues of the asphyxiating effect of party-political power on the administration, economy and society; the lack of control in the regional accounts; the government’s control over media; the climate of permanent intimidation; the disrespect for the opposition; the quest for constant conflicts with institutions; and the isolationist conception of autonomy:

‘4 – A climate of intimidation against those who disagree.

When, everywhere, democratic powers nurture criticism, independent judgment, analytic spirit, controversy, disagreement and the open confrontation of opinions, the Regional Government of Madeira systematically intimidates all those who dare to differ.

Government communiqués which, in principle, should be destined to clarify the population on matters of public interest are frequently used to insult the authors of any observation that does not conform to the official viewpoint.

The President of the Regional Government does not refrain from grossly insulting any citizen who exercises his right to air any heterodox view on the merits of the regional administration.

Civil servants are forbidden from airing their opinion (they are criminally sued) and their advisory statements (pareceres) are obliged to be free of any views that discord with the Regional Government.

In a traditional society, where nobody welcomes to see their name attacked or insulted, the intimidating weight of  verbal terrorism – to which the principal leader of the Government and the PSD leader of the regional parliament systematically resort to – is a powerful inhibiting factor and apolitical obstacle.

The reinforcement of autonomy in Madeira absolutely requires an end to this sort of practice. Democracy is not the tyranny of the majority.

5. The disrespect for the opposition – for all and any opposition -, namely in the Regional Parliament.

For the power installed in Madeira, the opposition is not another form of serving the interests of the archipelago, a possible alternative to the regional government or a healthy and necessary supervisor of acts of government. No! The opposition are purely and simply a band of criminals, who are treated like animals rather than decent citizens.

Whether a Communist or a Christian Democrat, an independant or a Socialist, anyone who opposes the PSD/Madeira has no reason whatsoever to exist. They are reduced to nothing, to a species of the most abject and despicable beings, their harassment as turncoats, delinquents or traitors, is one of the most perturbing aspects of the philosophy and practice of the regional PSD.

It is this totalitarian slide – which only does not reach a higher level of final implementation due to the national context – that leads to the level at which the Regional Parliament function:, a parliament where it is extremely difficult and indeed rare to be able to challenge the Government, to hold question and answer sessions, to obtain answers to requests or to constitute Commissions of Inquiry…

6 The search for a systematic confrontation with institutions

The logic of the behavior of the PSD Madeira has for long been that of de facto power, above all institutions and against them all.

For 16 years, the region has lived without a defined statute, a whim long tolerated and systematically used in a blind paranoia of confrontation from which no one escapes.

A trade union, an association or a party disagree – they are summarily tried, condemned and politically executed.

A businessman does not walk along the right corridors to win good grace – he is a vulgar capitalist.

A journalist, or a newspaper, does not obey – it will receive no subsidies, its (government) publicity will be cut, an edition or even the company will be bought, they are insulted and slandered.

A Bishop dares to refer to conditions of extreme poverty and promiscuity – there is an official communiqué against him.

The police or the courts want to exercise their functions in an independent manner – they must be regionalized.

The Armed Forces are not consistent with the whims of the regional authorities – they are a band of effeminate cowards.

The Minister of the Republic dares to veto a bill – he’s  ‘cuban’.

The Prime Minister and the Government will not pay off the [region’s] debt – ‘we don’t need the national PSD for anything and if need be we can always resort to those arguments that everyone knows’ [i.e. the independence of Madeira]

The Portuguese Parliament wants to discuss Madeira – it is not competent and its members, beginning with those of the PSD, belong to a base political class.

The President of the Republic says there is a democratic deficit in the Region – he does not deserve that people get out of bed to reelect him.

This activism, which feeds itself on the still unrelenting conspiracy against Madeira, devastates all and leaves no one standing…

Nothing has changed since 1992 and all these traits have only become exacerbated with time.

'ERRADICATE THE OPPOSITION MOSQUITOES'

This is one of the sub-headings of the article on the PSD party rally held on the 30th of July, published in the Jornal da Madeira the following day. It is unclear if this incitement was made by President Jardim or one of his fellow party members. Perhaps the Bishop of Funchal should clarify this, seeing as he is is responsible for the paper's editorial line. It is incredible that the powers that be continue to turn a blind eye to Jardim's excesses and appeals to violence, which apparently also enjoy the blessing of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church in Madeira.

Ruffians, drunkards, drug-addicts and tramps

In an opinion peice published in the government-funded Jornal da Madeira on the 4th of July and in the PSD paper Madeira Livre, President Jardim wrote that only ruffians, drunkards, drug addicts and tramps' showed interest in the opposition parties: the majority of the voting public. Charming!

Jardim's 'I Fuck Them'

President Jardim’s memorable reaction on seeing members of the New Democracy Party at an official function in the run up to the 2009 elections