Filipe Sousa Links Luxury Golf Projects to Daily Hardship on December 5, 2025
A member of parliament from Madeira accused the regional government of putting luxury tourism ahead of residents’ daily needs, in comments released on Friday. Filipe Sousa, elected for the Juntos Pelo Povo (JPP) party, said the coalition government of PSD/CDS had created “an unbearable contradiction” by insisting on what he called the “illusion of development based on luxury tourism through golf courses,” while many islanders struggle to pay basic bills.
In a party statement, Mr. Sousa argued that officials were trying to sell Madeira “as a luxury tourist postcard,” ignoring what he described as “a poverty that never appears in glossy brochures.” He added that policy had tilted toward “pleasing holiday-makers and neglecting the priorities and daily difficulties of thousands of Madeirans.”
Official Statistics Cite Nearly 50,000 at Risk of Poverty Statewide
To support his claims, Mr. Sousa cited figures from the Regional Statistics Office. According to the data he quoted, almost 50,000 residents live at risk of poverty; about 13,000 workers remain at risk despite having jobs. 23% of the population lives in poverty or social exclusion - above the national level - and 14,000 people face severe material deprivation.
“These numbers crush any propaganda,” Mr. Sousa said, as he pointed to rents, electricity and water bills, food prices and medicines as everyday pressures that many families cannot meet.
Madeira does not live off golf courses; it lives off the work of its people, its youth, its families, the middle and working classes, and small and medium-sized business owners,” he said, adding that “the PSD/CDS government was elected to govern for all of them — that is its duty and responsibility — and it cannot continue to show this contempt, this distance from the real needs of those who live and work in Madeira.”
Filipe Sousa, JPP, Diário de Notícias Madeira
Deputies Say Tax-Funded Courses Rise While Wages and Housing Lag
The lawmaker criticized plans for additional golf courses that he said are paid for with taxpayers’ money. He said parents are making impossible calculations to cover housing and utilities, even as public funds go to projects aimed at visitors.
Mr. Sousa added that the government had been elected to govern for all residents and should not remain detached from the needs of people who live and work on the island.
JPP Demands Policies on Income, Housing and Living Costs Instead
The JPP urged a change in priorities toward higher incomes, affordable homes, lower living costs and stronger social support.
The Government prefers luxury projects to policies that increase income, improve housing, reduce the cost of living, and provide social support (…) The JPP demands that the Government wake up from the bubble in which it is hiding. Madeira doesn't need golf. It needs fair wages and houses that the people of Madeira can afford.
Indeed, there are countless reasons why more golf courses in Madeira are a very bad idea. They would:
Cost the tax payer millions
Create more low paid jobs in tourism
Require more badly paid immigrant labour
Use land that could benefit residents
Increase pressure on local water and energy resources
Damage natural habitats and biodiversity
Increase traffic congestion and strain local infrastructure
Introduce pesticides and fertilizers that can poison soil and water
Source: Diário de Notícias Madeira
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