Pedro San Ginés said goodbye this Wednesday to the presidency of the Cabildo and did so by apologizing and mentioning the charges against him. "I have nothing to fear", said the still acting president in the last plenary session of his mandate, in which the spokespersons of the different political groups also said goodbye without lacking attacks and reproaches against him. "It is a joy that he will not repeat as president," said the councilor of Podemos, Carlos Meca.
"They tried to disqualify me during these nine years by land, sea and air and they will continue trying now that they have placed us where we are, but I am absolutely calm because, to begin with, I have nothing to fear. I have possibly been the most investigated president in the history of the Cabildo and also the president with the most dismissed complaints," said San Ginés, despite the fact that this week he added a new charge, being at least the fourth criminal case in which he is being investigated.
"It is true that I have a lot of accounts to give to the judges," acknowledged the still acting president of the Cabildo, who nevertheless expressed his conviction that all the judicial cases "will be dismissed." "From the utmost respect to the judicial authorities, I predict that this will happen. I have not had any trial to date and we will see if I have one, and of course no conviction," added Pedro San Ginés, despite the fact that in the case of the seizure of the Montaña Roja desalination plant, the opening of oral trial against him has already been ordered.
Apologies "for the mistakes undoubtedly made"
San Ginés did not want to take stock of his decade in the presidency of the Cabildo, but he did highlight that, in his opinion, he leaves an institution "quite better" than he found it, despite the fact that he has recognized that some departments have "an exasperating slowness." "But the staff is insufficient," justified the nationalist who, despite the fact that the PSOE won the elections, considers that the population has "rewarded" CC "reinforcing the support" last May 26.
The acting president of the Cabildo also took advantage of his intervention to apologize if "on some occasion" he has not been "up to the task", for "if the social skills have not been the right ones" and "for the mistakes undoubtedly made." "But that is what governing is about, getting it right and making mistakes, although I think there have been more successes than mistakes," said San Ginés, who said it has been "an honor" to have presided over the government of the island where he was born. "And thanks to CC for having trusted in me," he added.
"And now everything is ready for CC to lead the opposition of this institution and that is what we will do, in principle," said Pedro San Ginés, who also boasted of having maintained the pact with the PP until the last day, calling it "unprecedented on the island." "It must be the first time that a president maintains a partner who already has a second pact with part of the opposition, one in force and the other coming," said the acting president of the Cabildo, who also stated that he had "no" "problems" with the PP in the management. "And I didn't have them with the PSOE either until they decided to leave," he added.
Carlos Meca to San Ginés: "You have already stolen too much from this island"
"You, Mr. President, are a disgrace to this island, I think you are already on your fourth charge, and it is a joy that you will not repeat as president," said the spokesman for Podemos, Carlos Meca, who asked San Ginés "to stay as far away as possible from public institutions." "You have already stolen too much from this island for 10 years," added Meca, who also made a warning to the councilors who will enter the institution.
"To tell them that we are going to continue watching them. Politics can and should be done from many places and, although we will not be here to supervise them in the front line of institutional combat, we will continue from outside the Cabildo firm in our purpose of not letting them sleep until in this noble institution the money is used to solve the real problems of the people and not to buy wills, false tributes to Manrique and personal retirement plans," he said.
Farewell from Benjamín Perdomo, Manuel Cabrera and Tomás López
As for the acting councilor of Ciudadanos, Benjamín Perdomo, who also said goodbye this Wednesday to the Cabildo after the regional leadership of his party left him out of the lists for the elections, he stressed that these four years have been "a very beautiful vital experience."
"I have tried to contribute the best of myself and make a sincere and honest opposition. And from Ciudadanos, I have little to say seeing the mess they have made. I think that whoever sows storms ends up reaping tempests," he said. Likewise, Perdomo congratulated the PSOE and the PP "for agreeing" to seal a pact to govern in the Cabildo. "I think it was necessary for CC to move to the opposition after 10 years, which is healthy and had to happen," he said.
The one who also lived this Wednesday his last plenary session of the Cabildo was Manuel Cabrera, who said he did it "again" with "the bad taste in his mouth of believing that Lanzarote is not doing its homework and is not moving forward." In addition, he also apologized for having committed "some mistake" or "some lack of education." "It was always loaded with good intentions and a desire to prick us so that Lanzarote goes further," said Cabrera, who, however, said that he could not say the same about Pedro San Ginés as president. "We have not combined, we have not been able to understand each other. I always tried to prick him to focus on improving the island of Lanzarote, but it was impossible," he said.
"It has been four hard years in the work of opposition and also personally, but despite this I have tried not to disappoint the 3,125 voters of Somos," said the acting councilor for this formation, Tomás López, in his farewell to the plenary session of the Cabildo, in which he said he felt "proud" to have been "a channel of transmission" of the demands of the different groups on the island.
"It has been a complicated legislature, we had the opportunity to be in the government and in the opposition, both in one place and another we tried to contribute our grain of sand to achieve the best for the island, but unfortunately we have closed a legislature and we have not managed to see each and every one of those problems resolved," said the spokesman for the PSOE, José Juan Cruz, who also apologized if "on some occasion" they have "been able to bother someone." "It has never been in the personal question, but from the political point of view," he said.
Interventions of the rest of the councilors
"I am not going to make a farewell speech, because I believe that those of us who live in this of helping others, we are always going to be in one way or another linked to society to improve the environment in which we live," said the spokesman for CC, Echedey Eugenio, who, like San Ginés, also apologized "for the mistakes" they may have made. "They have always been, if we have committed them, with the best of intentions," he said.
In his speech, Eugenio also wanted to highlight San Ginés. "It has been an honor to work under his direction and under the bad temper that some say but, of course, a learning school that others say," he said.
"It was not my ambition to be sitting here, but it has been a pride," said the spokesman for the PP, Ángel Vázquez, who, although he said he felt "sorry" because the popular ones began the legislature with three councilors and have finished it with two after the resignation of Maite Corujo, he celebrated that in the new mandate they will be four. "I think people have rewarded our work," said Vázquez, who also conveyed his gratitude "to the colleagues of the government group for their collaboration and also to the president." "We have not had any kind of problem," he said.
For his part, Juan Manuel Sosa lamented "that some issues have not been able to go ahead" such as the PIOT or the Special Plan of La Geria, but he thanked CC for integrating "within its ranks within a coalition with San Borondón to continue to move forward, even if it is from the opposition, the issues of this island."
All the spokespersons of the different political parties have agreed to convey their thanks to the officials and workers of the Cabildo, as well as to the citizens. In addition, in the case of Podemos, Carlos Meca also wanted to "thank the journalists who have done and continue to do the work of keeping people informed despite the power, demonstrating that it is not necessary to always comply with the demands of money." "Some professionals who have been fundamental for the true character of an unworthy president to be better known and made public, who is finally going to leave after 10 very long years," he added.
