Dr. Miguel Albuquerque | INTERVIEW
Looking to the Future
Publisher, Peter Callaghan meets Dr. Miguel Albuquerque, the Mayor of Funchal
drove to my meeting with Dr Miguel
I Albuquerque, the Mayor of Funchal, with a great deal of anticipation as he was to be the first Mayor I had ever had the honour of interviewing.
Within minutes of entering his most splendid office, paneled with historic Portuguese tiles, I was instantly put at ease. He was one of the most charming and charismatic persons I have ever met.
Perhaps it had helped we had met briefly the previous afternoon during the island’ s grand floral parade. Here he introduced me to his two year old son, Alfonso and his mother, Sophia. I was the guest of the Madeira Tourism Board, able to view the magnificent floral floats from a high strategic position, an absolute must for visitors to see.
I started by asking Dr Miguel if he would give me a brief biographical history of his life. He told me he was born in 1961 in Madeira and was educated in Lisbon. There he studied Law at University, gained a law degree and then entered politics in 1980 in the PSD( social democratic party) aged 19. He was elected President of Câmara Municipal do Funchal in 1994.
He explained his father stood against Salazar in the silent revolution of 1931, so politics runs through his veins.
Dr. Miguel has a very good knowledge of England. His stepfather was born in Nottingham and he is a regular visitor to the United Kingdom where he pursues two of his many hobbies, antiques and music.
Conversing in the most excellent English, Dr Miguel told me of his vision for Madeira. He explained in March of this year he announced his candidature to run for President of Madeira standing against Alberto João Jardim, who has lead his party for the past 34 years.
He is passionate about changing the way that the island is promoted, especially after the natural disaster which occurred two years ago.
As many readers know, Madeira is a tranquil island with a benign climate that is not normally subject to severe weather events. But on 20th February 2010 a severe Atlantic depression, the like of which has not been seen since the early 1800’ s, poured a weeks worth of rain on the mountains in a very short time.
Dr Miguel explained the tourist and hotel areas were virtually unaffected but the deluge overwhelmed the rivers causing flooding and debris damage that was mainly limited of the proximity to the rivers.
Being a modern society with a Mayor and City Council to match, the island was quick to recover and whilst some scars remain, Madeira has emerged stronger and friendlier than ever. Cleverly, a new promenade opposite where the cruise ships dock has been constructed from the fragments that were left behind.
Time has healed the island, but now it is faced with trying to encourage a new generation of visitors. As someone pointed out to me, Madeira once had the unfortunate image of –‘ for the nearly wed and the nearly dead’, but this has to change. It is vibrant and has much to offer the modern day tourist.
Dr Miguel feels the island needs to sell itself better, giving the example of Turkey where a huge amount of investment has been put into their tourism budget.
Madeira needs to follow Turkey’ s initiative as the island has so much to offer to the visitor. However, you do have to be fit to enjoy every aspect of the island!
With over 30,000 beds available on the island it has to be re-sold, Dr Miguel told me.“ It has one of the most fantastic climates in Europe, it is the floating garden of the Atlantic. The island is an absolute must for anyone who does not know it”. His desire was to get across to me one very important point,“ the island also has something else to offer – safety. It has very little crime and violence against tourists is very, very rare”.
He went on to say,“ too many people today think that Madeira is something you put into a cake or leave on a dessert trolley: very few people are aware today that the island produces some of the world’ s greatest fortified wines”.
It was here Dr Miguel broke away from tourism and the interview switched direction when he told me at length of his love of roses. I had no idea the Mayor of Funchal had a rose garden, let alone a most beautiful rose garden. Quinta do Arco is a must for everyone to visit, a subtropical oasis hidden on the outskirts of Arco de Sao Jorge, very like a National Trust garden in Surrey, but with a volcanic backdrop.
Madeira has one of the most fantastic climates in Europe, it is the floating garden of the Atlantic. The island is an absolute must for anyone who does not know it.
| www. madeira-life. net | Summer 2012 | 7