The Socialist Group in the Cabildo of Lanzarote has shown its "surprise at the unusual discretion of the president Oswaldo Betancort after the recent acquisition of El Mercadillo on Calle Real in Arrecife." "Accustomed to seeing how the president takes advantage of any public purchase to star in his usual photo session, the silence on this occasion has aroused curiosity," they point out from the PSOE.
The socialist councillor Benjamín Perdomo did not hesitate to point out the difference: “Every time the Cabildo acquires a property, Oswaldo does not miss the opportunity to pose for the photo. Is it perhaps that this time he is ashamed to report the purchase of El Mercadillo, considering who its owner is, Juan Francisco Rosa?”
From the PSOE they point out that, being an operation that in any other circumstance Betancort would not hesitate to promote, "his lack of enthusiasm is striking." “When it comes to publicizing himself, he never fails. But it seems that this time the camera was not so close at hand. Could it be that he didn't feel like sharing the stage with certain names?” Perdomo commented sarcastically.
Perdomo continues saying that "although this silence is not entirely surprising, since Betancort has shown that he prefers to maintain a low profile on this matter." The Cabildo of Lanzarote, presided over by him, agreed on November 19, in an extraordinary Governing Board meeting, to buy the well-known Mercadillo on Calle Real from businessman Juan Francisco Rosa, a property that has been proposed to be declared an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC). However, this agreement was not reported at the time, unlike other recent acquisitions that did have wide publicity.
“Curiously, the Cabildo had no qualms about announcing the purchase of the Casa del Cabrerón in the session of December 19 for 595,000 euros, nor in widely publicizing the acquisition of 42 homes in Playa Blanca for 9.4 million euros on December 26,” Perdomo recalled.
The Socialist Group believes that citizens have the right to ask why the president, so given to self-promotion, has decided to tiptoe around this operation. “We don't know if it's shame, prudence or simply not all scenarios are equally comfortable for him,” Perdomo concluded.