José Dimas Martín will leave politics before the 2015 elections. He has decided since the "previous elections" and has already communicated it to his family and party colleagues. He is leaving because "man does not live by politics" and because he no longer feels "fulfilled." José Dimas Martín takes stock of his more than 20 years in politics, of how the Martín surname has affected him and how the "Unión" case hit the PIL, something he assures is "overcome from the beginning."
Why have you decided to abandon politics after more than 20 years?
I have been in politics for many years and you have to be honest with yourself. You know when you have to make decisions. You have to give way to new people. Everyone is full of words saying the same thing, but if you look at the political posters, almost everyone has been there for more than 20 years. I think the time has come and not for anything in particular.
Will you remain linked to the party?
Yes, I don't plan to abandon my party, I will lend a hand to my colleagues in whatever they ask me to do. I will collaborate with them as a grassroots member and when I have to go out and put up posters, I will do it as I have always done. I will continue to be a member, of course.
After the 2011 elections, the PIL suffered a setback and was left in a difficult position. Do you think it is an opportune moment to leave politics with the situation the party is in?
I'm not leaving because of that. I am with the party, where there are many more people. There are young people and I think that in parties you cannot be eternally at the top of the lists. Furthermore, for the benefit of the political formation itself, it is good to renew.
How will your colleagues take it, considering that you are a Martín, a very important family within the party?
My colleagues are already aware of my decision, I have already conveyed it to them. I did it almost before the elections. I already told them that it was the last time I was running as a candidate, and it didn't matter what result I obtained. I had pretty much accepted it, whatever happened. They have understood it and have supported me in my decision, because it is a personal decision. Man does not live by politics alone, you have to fulfill yourself in other personal matters.
Will there be any colleague who is happy that there will be one less Martín in the formation?
I don't know, you would have to ask them that. It's the same old thing, the issue that some want to transfer to the issue of personalism. The PIL is made up of more surnames and not just the Martín. There is the Bermúdez, the Álvarez or the Docal. There are many people. It's always the issue of the Martíns, that's what is talked about. But that should remain in the anecdote and nothing more.
What do your brother, president of the PIL, Fabián Martín, and your father Dimas Martín think about your departure from political life?
I discussed this decision not only with them, but also with the rest of my siblings, my mother and my wife. I told them before the last elections. It is a personal decision that they respect and little more to say. It can be commented on more or less, but they respect it.
You have been in politics for more than 20 years, what feeling are you left with?
I think that politics is a beautiful thing when you work well, when you try to do things. But it is also true that, in quotation marks, it has a dark side, in the sense that there are many guerrilla wars. When one tries to do things for the good of the municipality, they put obstacles in your way from one side or the other, either from your political adversaries or from the Government of the Canary Islands. This is not hidden from anyone. The citizens know it perfectly well. When a party of a different sign governs in an institution such as the Government of the Canary Islands, obstacles are put in place, just for that fact. We have to go a little further, look with other perspectives and not put obstacles just because one is of a different sign. What is done should be for the good of the people of a municipality, not for the good of the one who is governing, even if he is showing his face.
Personally, have you encountered many obstacles?
I think so.
Because you are a Martín? Do you think the surname has weighed you down?
I hope it's not because I'm a Martín, which I imagine it is too. But I think it's more a matter of little political culture. It is clear that belonging to a party like ours, an independent party that does not have to marry either the PP, or the PSOE, or CC, entails that, that they put obstacles in your way and try to defeat you. An independent party always does a lot of damage. The PIL is living history of the island. This island would not be understood without the PIL, which has always been characterized by defending the interests of the people of Lanzarote, no matter what the cost, both personally and politically.
In 2015, when you leave politics and look back, what will you be left with?
With the colleagues. Always, for better and for worse. There are difficult moments, more complicated ones and other better ones. I won't miss them, because I will still have them there, on the front line. But I will miss being all day with a group of people trying to do things for the island.
Have you left any projects pending? Will you leave politics with a thorn in your side?
Yes, many things. The PIL was unfairly punished for certain issues totally unrelated to the political formation. In the previous elections, it was punished for issues that everyone knows. The "Unión" case did a lot of damage to the PIL and that to this day is still not closed. In the future, it may shed a lot of light on issues that, at the time, were sold as true atrocities trying to sink this political formation. That damage that was done to us and the inability to continue in institutions such as Teguise delayed important issues that we were doing. For example, in Arrecife, the Neighborhood Plan that the PIL took out is currently stalled. In Teguise, I have some thorn in my side such as the Agro-industrial Complex, not having put it into operation because I was not given the necessary time, and not having consolidated a University Campus, which this island deserves once and for all.
In view of your departure, has any candidate for the Teguise City Council been considered for the 2015 elections?
No, no. It is no secret to anyone that the political formation is still trying to attract people, people who for many reasons decided to abandon the true nationalism of the PIL and get closer to a false nationalism that is CC. I think that those people, with many of whom I have spoken, are disappointed and thinking about returning to our formation. There are new people who want to enter, although some find it hard to understand. Curiously, there are people who want to enter politics, new people, between 20 and 40 years old, and it is appreciated.
So, do you think that the PIL has the possibility of attracting new people, young people? Will there be new families that support the party? Since families like Martín, Bermúdez or Docal, to which you alluded, could also have an expiration date.
I think there will be new people. People are very disappointed. After the enormous and fabulous results that CC obtained, to this day this party is a nest of discussions and fights among themselves. It does not defend this island in any way. There you have the Budgets of the Autonomous Community, which are ridiculous for Lanzarote. There are many people who now see that their vote has not served any purpose. It is sad to say, a party that has four parliamentarians and that the results for this island are not seen. People are clear that the only one who defends Lanzarote in Parliament is Fabián Martín.
But the support that CC had and that was detrimental to the PIL in the previous elections, would also have a lot to do with Operation "Unión", which seriously hit your party, with the arrest of several of its members.
Possibly, it may be one of the reasons.
Do you think that the PIL has already overcome the "Unión" case or is it still weighing on the party?
The PIL has overcome it from the beginning. It is very easy to throw ink on a political formation, on some acronyms, when the acts are committed by people. There have been several people, there is no need to hide, who have been accused, but to this day a trial has not been held. Here it is very easy to sell the bear's skin before hunting it. You have to be much more honest. You cannot judge people before the trial itself. We will have to wait and see everything that comes out of there, because we are still in a period of instruction. Some cases have been closed, there are many others open. We will be attentive to what happens. But at least the PIL and the people who are in the PIL, we have overcome that from the beginning.
What grade would you give to your time in politics?
It is ugly for one to give oneself a grade. The neighbors will have to give the grade.
And, in summary, has the world of politics disappointed you or pleased you?
Politics is very beautiful, but sometimes it is too cruel. For that part, I have been quite disappointed. I have been disappointed not only by politics, but by many people who are in politics and who are there for other interests that are not mine.
From 2015, how do you plan your future?
Well, as a normal person, like any neighbor. I am thinking of doing personal things, which as they are personal I am not going to say. I will try to build a future and move forward like any Lanzarote resident. Man does not live by politics. You have to look for other issues. With politics, I had not felt fulfilled or comfortable for some time. That's why I made the decision.
