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"Belief, and the Will to Win"
Opinião Portuguesa(Arquivo)
Links/Ligações:
Grupo dos Amigos de Olivença"Crer e Querer para Vencer"
Forum Olivença
Manifesto Portugal
OlivencaOnline
Informação Olivença
Campanha por Olivença01/Sep/2001
AS GOOD FRIENDS AS BEFORE
Among those who follow today's events, there are the sceptics who say that history cannot repeat itself. As we all know there is always the exception!
Is it possible, that after more than 4 centuries, Spain under today's 'ruler' Jose Maria Aznar, is again craftily plotting the defeat and annexation of Portugal, a fellow member of the European Union?!
Paranoia? Initially you may think so, but there are several similarities to what happened in 1580 and there is growing alarm in many sections of Portuguese society..
Spanish governments have never quite disguised their desire to see the "union" of the two countries again. Now it has become an open secret even if the means to get it remains devious and deceptive. A case of being just as good friends as before.
Top businessmen have been discreetly invited to meetings in Madrid and asked to join in "shared" Spanish enterprises.
The Madrid government already has plans for the integration of the large Alentejo province, as part of the Spanish "Extremadura" region. This new region is to be called "The New Autonomous Region of Extremadura". Apparently since the plan came to light it has been shelved for "the appropriate moment" according to Spanish calculations.
There is a seemingly unstoppable drive for Spanish institutions and companies to take over or have controlling stakes in similar Portuguese businesses which are of vital national economic importance to Portugal.
Since joining the European Union, Portugal has become the biggest importer of Spanish goods, sold cheaper than homemade goods. This is damaging domestic businessand causing financial loss to growers and traders in Portugal. The Spaniards say that because of the EU there are now no frontiers between the two countries. Strangely, the same is never said with regards to France.
There is pressure by Madrid to have Castilian (Spanish) taught as the first (foreign) language in schools, and be used equally alongside Portuguese where Portugal chair EU meetings. The media is being heavily influenced from across the border, and even the Portuguese Prime Minister, Antonio Guterres, has spoken publicly in Castilian!
The Spaniards strongly advocate the promotion of cross border cultural events and tourism, as well as joining together a variety of business activity. This love for the Portuguese comes under the banner of what they call: "nuestros hermanos" ("our brothers").
The Portuguese Justice system has come under intense pressure to give into Spanish demands in matters that clearly relate to their own national interests such as extradiction.
Spain has so far succeeded in taking control of the water supply they share from the main rivers crossing both countries. With so many dams being built across the border, water shortages have already resulted in Portugal seriously damaging essential crops and livelihoods. There has been a noticeable rise also in levels of pollution exceeding EU regulations in these waters coming from Spain. The electricity supply and telecommunications are probably the next targets.
At this year's "summit" between the two Iberian neighbours, among a broad front of agreement such as combatting drugs and illegal immigration, both countries agreed to work towards having a 'shared' fast trains network between Portuguese and Spanish cities and a number of new bridges to improve road links across rivers separating the two countries. Two bridges in particular, an old and a new one in the disputed territory of Olivença has created widespread media and public discussion. A state of underlying contention is building up which could sour the "friendship" between the two countries.
The catalogue of situations which demonstrate that the Spanish push is real goes on and on and is happening right now. The dream to achieve the desired centuries old imperialist goal is still alive. Spain failed to hold on to it in the past but has never given up. Remember Philip I ambitious 'Spanish Armada'?).
In 1580, taking advantage of Portugal's economic and military weakness Philip I bought off the majority of the surviving Portuguese nobility after the Ksar-el-Kebir military catastrophe in Morocco and then finally by force of arms usurped the Portuguese throne to create a Crown "union" with Spain. It happened in the 16th century and still in the 21st century Spanish ambitions incredibly remain unchanged. This time though, why use armed forces when the EU which favours the larger economies can help make it happen.
Right now Portugal is economically weak and has a growing budget deficit. Corruption is one of the highest in Europe. As for Spanish astuteness and deception it is in extremely good form. Will history repeat itself?
The following account might help readers to understand why there still exists such a deep rooted problem of distrust between Portugal and Spain:
Philip II
"Now when King Sebastian was come to the age of 4 and 20 years, the said King Sebastian at last determined to push into Africa with a great and powerful army.....and for the better accomplishment thereof he prayed his uncle King Philip of Castile to vouchsafe some aid unto him in that behalf. The King of Castile, granting his petition, promised to aid him with 50 galleys well appointed and furnished and 4,000 armed soldiers.
King Sebastian trusting thereunto, with all care and dilligence prepared his army, wherewith in the month of June 1578 he departed from Lisbon....But the King of Castile... ..not only denied his promise but also (that is far worse) caused a proclamation to be made.....whereby all his subjects were commanded upon great penalties that none of them should accompany King Sebastian in that voyage, whereof certainly there can be no other conjecture be gathered, saving only that the King of Castile, by his unmeasurable ambition and insatiable desire to have dominion, neither coveted nor hoped for any other thing that only that the young Prince King (sic) Sebastian his nephew, for want of sufficient force, should be overthrown and come to destruction in the same journey, so as thereupon the said King of Castile might by that means have opportunity to join the Kingdom of Portugal to his Kingdom of Castile or so it came to pass."
Source: Dutch documents and also found in: "Spain 1474 - 1598", by Jocelyn Hunt, published 2001, and quoted in Geoffrey Woodward's "Spain in the Reign of Ferdinand & Isabella", published 1997, page 106.
