The Cabildo of Lanzarote dedicated a press release to Coalición Canaria these days, accusing the political organization to which I belong of "interference in the decisions of the Island Board". With these accusations and this way of going out to public opinion, the island president and general secretary of the PSOE has made it very clear that in said Board (which, by the way, is not an institutional body) there is no room for ideas or suggestions that do not have the consent and approval of Mª Dolores Corujo; and even less if the proposals come from CC. It doesn't matter if our initiatives are aimed at improving the situation, the question is, simply, that she doesn't like anything that has to do with Coalición Canaria at all.
Sad, very sad... A regrettable position, at a time when you have to have a broad vision to be able to see beyond political acronyms and think about joining efforts to help get Lanzarote and La Graciosa out of the well in which they are immersed.
I recognize that when I saw the proposal to create the "Island Board" by the Cabildo of Lanzarote announced at the beginning of the pandemic, it seemed like a good idea to me, in the context of the situation, the initiative that all the institutions of the island worked as a team, regardless of political color. It gave me hope that perhaps we could leave behind many personal issues that have always hovered over Lanzarote's politics.
I don't mind or find it difficult to recognize a good proposal from whatever party it may be, as long as it provides solutions or improvements for the island. What I am saying may sound like a hackneyed phrase, but I have always approached politics from commitment, dialogue and consensus.
However, as time went by, I realized that the Island Board lost its non-partisan team spirit from the moment things became complicated from a health point of view and different issues were raised that complicated the unbreakable unanimity shown by its members at first.
The Covid-19 situation, which we thought was going to be something temporary, has been prolonged over time. In this new reality, it was time to make decisions and adapt our activities (cultural, sports, leisure, tourism, social...), that is, adapt them within the health measures established by the pandemic.
The roadmap was well defined in the different phases; the Government of the Canary Islands published the measures in force for the containment of Covid-19 depending on the alert level on each island. Thus, we all understood that we should adapt according to the level and the restrictions imposed for that phase.
But it wasn't like that, Lanzarote acted differently. While other islands were looking, within the possibilities allowed by the alert level, to resume cultural and sports activity, here, everything was paralyzed, regardless of the alert level. Who decided this? Everything was relegated to the Island Board and the president of the Cabildo, under the umbrella of consensus with the municipalities, justified the decisions.
That couldn't be eternal. The first of the disagreements, the great test of fire to demonstrate that everyone on the Island Board was looking towards the common good, we had with the agricultural markets. The disagreements forced the municipalities to seek solutions with exquisite respect for the rules set by the Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands.
Meanwhile, the president, one more in a Board in which all the mayors of the island are, only had one word, "NO", closing her eyes to the indications marked from Health to not destroy the island's economy but ensuring, of course, the health of all citizens.
And it must be taken into account that the president didn't care whether the markets were opened or not; after all, if the citizen needs something, the first instance is the City Council, not the Cabildo. Of course, if she, the socialist president of consensus, says "NO", it has to be "NO".
Thus, the fact that some municipality had the audacity to open the markets without the presidential approval was a real political tsunami.
From here, with the reopening of these agricultural stalls in Haría and Tinajo, the unanimity of the Island Board was fractured because it was and is incomprehensible that the idea of governing is not to seek solutions but to obstruct and paralyze any idea that does not have the approval of the Cabildo.
Then the different phases and levels arrived and the hopes of all citizens clung to logic like a burning nail, that is, we only expected that in Lanzarote the restrictions marked by the measures dictated by the Government of the Canary Islands for each level would be scrupulously applied.
Well, no, it hasn't been like that, it hasn't been acted according to what is applied in the rest of the Canary Islands, here we have suffered and continue to suffer a particular restriction dictated from the Cabildo and focused on the cultural and sports sectors, mainly.
Last Friday, the president of the Cabildo branded the political organization I represent as meddling and accused us of "attempting to interfere in the decisions of the Island Board". The truth is that I am still trying to understand how such accusations can be made without batting an eye. She only needed to say: what right do they have to interfere in my affairs?
The president has forgotten that this organization has been part of the evolution of this island, with successes and failures, and that we have shared government for quite some time. She also forgets that this party, Coalición Canaria, will always be present in any issue, decision or proposal that affects this island. The president forgets that in the democratic political system, political parties can and should express their opinions and propose even if they are not in government tasks. And, finally, the president forgets that, although she doesn't like it, we govern in four of the seven institutions of the island and that we have political representation in all of them. This is our main guarantee to make suggestions and contributions to improve and enrich the island in any of its areas.
Finally, just one note, instead of focusing on that alleged "interference" of CC, perhaps it would be better if the president of the Cabildo assumed her responsibilities and worried about how she is going to solve the issue of aid (which has not yet arrived) for SMEs and the self-employed or the highest unemployment in the Canary Islands (which we have here on the island according to data from the Government of the Canary Islands-OBECAN)... She must have also forgotten that we are the island with the most ERTES, with the highest number of business closures, with some CACTs that are in their most critical economic situation (if tourists don't arrive, there is no income)...
On the issue of immigration, to this day she has not raised her voice with either the Government of the Canary Islands or Madrid. We have a submissive president who does not claim from the State Government, but who does attack without contemplation using all her propaganda machinery against those of us who try to contribute and suggest for the common good of this island.
Seriously, Madam President? Are we still talking about what you consider an attempt by CC to interfere or do you prefer to recognize once and for all your inability to lead this crisis?
By the way, what the mayor of Teguise, the mayoress of Haría and the representative of Tinajo tell me about what was really decided at the meeting of the Island Board on Friday differs greatly from the content of the press release that you dedicated to us with so much affection. CC simply launched a proposal for the sports facilities to be opened to the public in accordance with the restrictions established by Health for phase 2, but as you take everything that comes from CC as a personal attack, you have ended up harming the entire island.
Seeing how things are working in that non-institutional body and how they distort what is being discussed there, I do not foresee a long life for an Island Board, which was born with an objective that is not being fulfilled: that all its members join efforts and make proposals that help solve the problems derived from the Covid-19 crisis.
So, Madam President, are we focusing on the important things and the real problems of the island or do you prefer to continue diverting attention?