The article questions Luís Miguel Sousa's influence in Madeira, allegedly through a monopoly on ports that drives up the cost of all products in the region. The text describes how Eduardo Jesus and Miguel Albuquerque were allegedly "converted" after initially threatening this monopoly, becoming "the greatest beneficiaries of the advancement of this same monopoly." Naviera Armas was allegedly "mysteriously removed" and the LIDL chain, with the capacity to operate its own cargo ships, was "successively hampered or blocked on the ground."
The article denounces extremely high freight rates in Madeira that feed a complete value chain of cargo ships, stevedoring, cold storage, trucking, freight forwarders, fuels, natural gas, and warehouses. Correios de Portugal is also pointed out as a profit-focused entity, sending express parcels by sea freight. The region has the country's highest inflation in cost of living and housing, with price coordination in supermarkets.
The Diário de Notícias, owned by Luís Miguel Sousa himself, is accused of promoting studies that benefit his interests, advocating for an unrestricted Madeira-Mainland ferry. The article questions who investigates the cargo when the newspaper's owner is the ship's owner, also referring to the GNR having been "targeted" by this same individual.
The text concludes that insularity in Madeira is not a geographical fatality, but rather a business managed by those who control the ports, fuels, distribution, waste collection, and media. The Competition Authority remains in complicit silence and the Regional Government prefers to fund territorial continuity without accountability instead of demanding transparency, directly questioning: "Does Luís Miguel Sousa govern Madeira? Yes! Without being elected but with many puppets in Government."
