"The population of Lanzarote and La Graciosa is living worse today than a year ago, while the president of the Cabildo, Oswaldo Betancort, insists on painting a picture of an island that does not exist," the PSOE stated in a press release issued this Wednesday. This was the central idea defended by the spokesperson for the Socialist Group, Ariagona González, in the first session of the Debate on the State of the Island, in which she contrasted the president's "triumphalist narrative" with the daily reality of the citizens.
For the PSOE, the point of this debate should be to answer "a question as simple as it is decisive": whether our people are living better than a year ago. "Unfortunately, no," stated González, "and what's worse, the president and his government seem more concerned with feeding their bubble of propaganda, trips, and feasts than with facing the real problems of Lanzarote and La Graciosa."
The democratic anomaly of a debate without the opposition leader
González began his speech by denouncing the "democratic anomaly" of the deputy and former president of the Cabildo, María Dolores Corujo, "being unable to attend the most important plenary session of the year" due to the way the president himself sets the schedule for the sessions. "We must point out again that the cowardly president cheats to avoid debate, to silence the opposition," he stressed.
A plenary hall turned into a self-promotion set
The spokesperson also criticized that the plenary hall has been transformed into a mere stage for "personal self-promotion." In her opinion, instead of debate, control, and accountability, what is offered to citizens is "verbosity, lies, nonsense, and absurdities in the videos with which Oswaldo Betancort intends to compensate for his silences," she stated.
Accuses him of basing his slogan on others' work
González then dismantled "one of the president's most repeated slogans," "we are still delivering," which he described as a constant exercise of "appropriating others' work." "The curious thing is that he uses it precisely to publicize the legacy of the Loli Corujo and Ángel Víctor Torres governments," he quipped. He recalled that "he boasts about the wind farm, the installation of which he found ready for placement; the Playa Honda underpass, planned, financed, and awarded by the previous Canary Islands Government thanks to the insistence of María Dolores Corujo; the Hemodynamics Unit and the Radiotherapy Bunker, whose works and equipment were completed during the socialist era; and the irrigation in the northwestern area, a project that Pedro San Ginés had left stalled and with the Spanish Government's subsidy about to expire, which could only be saved thanks to the renegotiation and extension of deadlines promoted by the previous government. He added, moreover, that he also boasts about the public housing being built in Maneje when it was financed, awarded, and launched by the Ángel Víctor Torres Executive in response to Corujo's demands. "Of course, he doesn't mention at any time the torture to which his government is subjecting the owners of the Valterra homes," he lamented. "So it's true about 'we are still delivering': they are still delivering what the Socialist Party government left ready for us."
Water: A Chronic and Mismanaged Emergency
Regarding water, González denounced that the water emergency has become "a permanent narrative" without fundamental decisions that change citizens' daily lives. He recalled that the previous government had made progress on rescinding the contract with Canal Gestión, while it was Betancort himself who decided to dismiss the Water Consortium manager and halt the proceedings, prolonging an exhausted model based on extensions, improvisations, and non-transparent agreements. As an example of poor economic management, he pointed to the announcement of the purchase of membranes for the desalination plants in Arrecife and Playa Blanca for two million euros. "I'll translate that for you, in case it wasn't understood," he explained. "The president boasts about having squandered two million in public money to pay for membranes that Canal Gestión should have replaced. A complete success in managing public funds." He added that they are trying to justify this operation with the argument of energy savings, "but what he doesn't say is that this saving will only appear on Canal's electricity bill, while the Consortium's funds are paying for it."
A president who votes against Lanzarote's interests
The spokesperson also recalled Oswaldo Betancort's role in the Parliament of the Canary Islands, where, as she pointed out, he has systematically voted against the island's interests. She cited, among other examples, his vote against Lanzarote receiving the fuel discount enjoyed by the green islands, lying by stating that there were no studies to justify that subsidy, and his vote against the expansion of the Playa Honda Health Center, demonstrating that his priority is not to cause problems for Fernando Clavijo, even if it means renouncing essential improvements for the population
Tourism, new beds, and vacation rentals: a saturated island
In the tourism and territorial sphere, González was particularly forceful. He recalled that Betancort himself committed to the citizens that there would be "not one tourist more, nor one tourist less," but in practice his government has already granted eight tourism authorizations that represent the introduction of 4,135 new accommodation places to the market. Among them, he highlighted the authorization granted to the Papagayo Arena hotel, despite the fact that the Yaiza City Council itself warned that most of the establishment is located within the Coastal demarcation. "The president repeats 'actions, not words,' but his actions constantly betray his word to defend Lanzarote's interests," he stated.
The spokesperson also provided data on the evolution of holiday rentals on the island. "In Lanzarote there are already 10,857 homes designated for the tourist market. If in June 2023 the island had 5,198, the data is clear: with Oswaldo Betancort, they have increased by 5,389 more units, a growth of 104%," she explained. Meanwhile, she added, the minister in charge boasts whenever he can about having removed just over a hundred homes from the holiday market. "It is difficult to find a clearer example of disconnection between the narrative and reality," she concluded
Moratorium, ecotax, and limits: decisions that can no longer wait
Faced with this situation, the Socialist Group defended the need to impose an absolute moratorium on the creation of new tourist beds, implement an ecotax with a specific purpose to guarantee the conservation of natural spaces, landscapes, and coastlines, and openly acknowledge that the island is saturated and has exceeded its carrying capacity. "Lanzarote and La Graciosa do not have time to keep waiting for Oswaldo Betancort to dare to make brave decisions," warned González. "We have to stop, and stop now, so as not to jeopardize our future."
A real island facing the president's imaginary island
González concluded his speech by recalling that the Debate on the State of the Island should primarily serve to determine if people are living better than a year ago. "Unfortunately, that is not the case," he insisted. "The population of Lanzarote is losing quality of life while the president and his government live in their bubble: a bubble of lavish trips, chaining feast after feast, while people can't make ends meet; a bubble of parties and concerts, of million-dollar consultancies and advertising contracts paid for with public money."
“That is the imaginary island the president paints,” the spokesperson concluded. “The one we who have to pay for groceries, look for housing, or endure the weekly water cuts are living is very different. Our commitment is to that real island, to the people of Lanzarote and La Graciosa, and we will not stop saying so in this plenary session, in the streets, and wherever necessary.”
