"That it is now seen negatively (with the current economic crisis situation), I accept it, but at that time it was not seen that way." That was the answer José Miguel Pérez gave to justify the expense that the Cabildo of ...
"That it is now seen negatively (with the current economic crisis situation), I accept it, but at that time it was not seen that way." That was the answer José Miguel Pérez gave to justify the expense that the Cabildo of Gran Canaria made on ophthalmologists and dentists for its councilors and some of their children during his term at the head of this institution.
In total, according to Canarias 7 published this week, they spent 32,000 euros between 2008 and 2011. And the figure shoots up to 105,000 euros if you also add the glasses, contact lenses, orthodontics and root canals of all senior officials and trusted staff of the Gran Canaria Cabildo. And the only question that remains is: is it really necessary to be in the midst of an economic crisis to realize that this is a real nonsense?
Unfortunately, the answer seems to be yes. And not only in this case. In Lanzarote, many examples could be found. One of them, in the institutions' own budgets. When preparing them, almost all have now announced cuts in the "current expenses" chapter. That is, in those of operation, which include everything from stationery to receipts such as water, electricity and telephone. And once again, the question is: if it was possible to spend less on those things, why wasn't it done before?
The big problem is that public money doesn't hurt the pockets of those who manage it. And although they should look at every penny, much more than if it were their own accounts, the reality is that they do the opposite. And so, the Cabildo arrives from Fitur, after spending a week there with the president at the head, in addition to the Minister of Tourism and the Minister of the CACT, and assure the media that they do not know how much has been spent in those days. Come on, the normal thing when one takes a trip. Neither does he come with a prior budget, nor does he control the expense while he is there, nor does he take stock when he gets home.
Of course, the only figure that has been given from the Cabildo, has been to respond to the controversy that was unleashed by the dinner they organized, with public money, in a well-known Madrid restaurant. According to the Cabildo, "it barely exceeded 3,000 euros". And they said it literally. "It barely exceeded 3,000 euros".
Obviously, that figure is not a big deal within the budgets handled by the Cabildo. However, it is even offensive that they talk about that amount as if it were small change. Every penny counts, or should count, and citizens have the right, first, to know what it is spent on; and second, to give their opinion on whether they think it is well invested or not. And there is nothing "artificial" in that, no matter how much it bothers some people that society scrutinizes public spending.
In fact, if that control really existed, if politicians really had pressure on every euro they spend, many wasteful expenses would have been avoided and would continue to be avoided.
Now, the new Government of Mariano Rajoy has rescued the draft of the Transparency Law, which would imply exactly that: that citizens can know exactly what the administration spends the money on. From the salaries of senior officials, to the money that an international summit costs, for example.
It seems something basic in a democracy, but the truth is that Spain is one of the few countries in the European Union that does not yet have a law on access to information. In fact, of 27 members of the EU, only four do not have a law of this type. And the other three are Cyprus, Luxembourg and Malta.
Until now, the announcements to approve that Transparency Law in Spain have fallen on deaf ears, but the Government assures that it will begin to be processed before the summer. Even the vice president, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, announced that even judicial responsibilities will be demanded from managers who "waste" and "mortgage the future" of an institution.
Of course, we would have sung another song if that had been applied in Lanzarote in the last two decades. But even without aspiring to so much, because we will have to see if that is really approved and if it is then taken to the ultimate consequences, only the essence of the Transparency Law would already be a fundamental advance on the island. Something as simple as knowing how much they spend on each thing. From salaries and "bonuses", to various trips, representation expenses, works that are then useless, purchases of material that is then not even used or even celebration of popular festivals, of which budgets are never given either.
A small example of this has also jumped now, following the controversy unleashed between the City Council of Arrecife and the murgas. And it is that although the strike of the groups was due to the cut that there will be in the subsidies and for the money that they owe from the prizes of last year (and in that they are absolutely right), other data of what they were receiving have also transcended. For example, gifts of alcohol for a total amount of about 6,000 euros, according to the Councilor for Festivities. To that, the murgas have resigned without protest, and they have also resigned themselves to no longer being paid for transportation to the fairgrounds, but, again, the same question: is it necessary for the crisis to arrive to realize that it is a nonsense that a public institution pays for the drinks of anyone?
And the fault is not of the murgas, but of those who have administered (and in many cases continue to administer) public money with such joy in many issues. Therefore, if they were really proud of their management, and considered that what they spend on certain things is an investment and not a pure waste, they should be the first to come out to give explanations of what they do and of the money they handle, instead of dedicating themselves to hiding certain things or being bothered when some figure finally transcends.
