The neighbors of Masdache have publicly shown their "deep indignation, frustration, and feeling of abandonment" due to the activation of receivers installed in the town's communication tower. In a statement, they have pointed out that what was a "legitimate" concern in recent months has now become "an imposed reality, without dialogue, without transparency, or respect."
Thus, they have pointed out that despite having met, both with representatives of the Tías City Council and with the president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, they received "clear promises", where they were assured that "alternatives would be studied, that avenues of dialogue with Telefónica would be opened, and that we would be kept informed". However, they have indicated that "none of that has happened".
This group of neighbors has indicated that "silence has been the only response". "There have been no new calls, nor explanations, nor the minimum gesture of respect towards those of us who live here," they have denounced. Instead, they have added that they have had to witness "changing public statements, contradictory versions, and a worrying lack of institutional coherence, while the works have continued."
"You don't govern thinking about the people"
With the installation of the receivers, these neighbors have denounced that "the government is not run thinking about the people, but rather with its back to them". "The interests of a large multinational are prioritized over the well-being of the neighbors, over the value of our landscape, and over the right to participate in decisions that directly affect our quality of life," they have highlighted.
In this regard, they have indicated that it is "especially painful to see how, despite having sat down to dialogue, neither the Tías City Council nor the Cabildo of Lanzarote have been able to even look us in the face again to acknowledge that they have not kept their word". "Not a call, not a meeting, not an explanation," they stated.
"A living town with identity"
These neighbors have questioned: "Where is the political responsibility? Where is the commitment to the citizenry? Where is the real will to seek less harmful alternatives, more respectful of the environment and of those who inhabit it?".
To conclude, they have defended that "Masdache is not an empty place, a living town, with identity, with history and with neighbors who deserve to be heard". Meanwhile, they have indicated that "what is happening is not just a technical or administrative issue: it is a clear sign of institutional contempt".
For all these reasons, they have demanded "immediate explanations, transparency and, above all, respect." To which they have warned that "what is happening today in Masdache cannot be normalized, nor can it be accepted as the inevitable price of progress."