The PSOE of Lanzarote has responded this Monday to the statements by Oswaldo Betancort, regretting that the president of the Cabildo intends to "divert the debate so as not to assume his political responsibility in the face of a tourism model that continues to worsen the housing crisis, the pressure on public services, and the saturation the island is suffering". The Cabildo president's response maintains that the island institution does not grant urban planning licenses and that the files the PSOE refers to are regulated acts of tourist classification.
The socialists consider that "Betancort now tries to take refuge in the fact that the Cabildo does not grant urban planning licenses, when what is truly relevant is that, since he arrived at the island government, he has not promoted a single brave measure to curb uncontrolled growth nor to protect Lanzarote from a model that long ago exceeded all limits".
“Oswaldo Betancort will be able to try to hide behind a procedure or behind a specific competence, but he cannot hide from his political responsibility. Lanzarote's problem is not only who signs a paper; the problem is that whoever governs this island has systematically refused to act in the face of a reality that is already unbearable for thousands of families”, has pointed out the island secretary of the PSOE of Lanzarote and congresswoman, María Dolores Corujo.ç
The PSOE declared Lanzarote as a touristically saturated island
Corujo has recalled that it was the PSOE who declared Lanzarote as a touristically saturated island, taking a step that then required political courage and island vision. “We told the truth when others preferred to look the other way. We declared Lanzarote touristically saturated because the data was conclusive and because it was evident that the island could not continue growing at the same pace without jeopardizing its balance, its territory, and the quality of life of its people,” he/she affirmed.
"The serious thing is that, after publicly acknowledging that Lanzarote has a saturation problem, those who govern today have done absolutely nothing to correct it. They have refused the tourist moratorium, they have refused the ecotax and they have refused, ultimately, to open a serious debate about the limits this island needs," he added.
From the PSOE, they underline that it is not enough to say that an administration does not grant licenses if at the same time all political, fiscal, and planning tools that would allow containing growth and ordering the territory are rejected. In that sense, they reproach Betancort for wanting to present himself as a mere spectator when he has been one of the main responsible parties for blocking any progress towards a more balanced and sustainable model.
“Betancort lies when he tries to convey to the citizenry that he can do nothing. It is not said by a minor official nor someone outside of decision-making: it is said by someone who is president of the Cabildo and, furthermore, a deputy. He has more than enough responsibilities, political capacity, and institutional voice to promote measures, foster agreements, and defend limits to growth. What he has not had until now is will”, Corujo has stated.
The socialist leader has insisted that the debate cannot be reduced to a self-serving administrative discussion, because the reality the island is experiencing is much more serious and much deeper. “The greatest disinformation is not denouncing what is happening; the greatest disinformation is trying to make citizens believe that nothing is happening here, that everything is limited to a procedure and that those who govern have no room to act. Of course they do. What they have not had is political will,” she pointed out.
The PSOE of Lanzarote maintains that the island is going through a limit situation, marked by an unprecedented housing emergency, a growing pressure on basic resources, and an increasingly widespread feeling that the territory and public services are bearing a burden that no longer admits more delay.
“Lanzarote needs public officials who are up to the task, who tell the truth and who make decisions to defend this island. And, as of today, Betancort has chosen to stand aside in the face of one of the biggest problems we have as a land,” María Dolores Corujo concluded.
