The general secretary of the PCP, Paulo Raimundo, is against the return of mandatory military service, which he considers to be a way of creating “cannon fodder”.
Speaking to journalists this Tuesday, on the sidelines of a visit to an exhibition, Paulo Raimundo argued that the return of compulsory military service would serve the interests of a war that he does not defend.
“It’s not worth wanting ‘cannon fodder’”, said the communist leader. “This conversation comes about the intensification of the war”declared Paulo Raimundo, after the Chief of Staff of the Navy, Henrique Gouveia e Melo, suggested the need to “reconsider compulsory military service”.
“We are not talking about mandatory military service in the conception we had before it ended. We are talking about mandatory military service as a response to the needs for a war that someone wants, but that we do not defend”, defended Paulo Raimundo.
“We don’t need war. What we need is peace. We don’t need weapons, what we need is a path to dismantle the arms race”, stated the communist general secretary.
For Paulo Raimundo, what What is needed is to “value professionals today, give salaries and careers to active military personnel, create the conditions so they can work”.
Mandatory military service ended in 2004, after a decision by the Government led by António Guterres, in 1999. The transition to professionalization was completed in September 2004, when Paulo Portas was Minister of Defense.
A study released for the Association for Economic and Social Development (SEDES) points out that 47% of Portuguese agree for the State to reinstitute compulsory military serviceto ensure that the Armed Forces have sufficient personnel.
