Dear Yonathan de León, Mayor of Arrecife, I am writing to you with the same concern with which a mother watches her son when he says that he "is not sleepy" and five minutes later he is snoring on the sofa. That is, with patience, but with a touch of resignation.
You see, the other day I came across your statements about the alleged "permanent avalanche of migrants" that, according to you, has Lanzarote collapsed. And of course, I had a déjà vu. Because we have seen this before: politicians pulling out the fear card, painting apocalyptic pictures with strokes of the extreme right, while the real problems of the island remain unresolved.
Let's be clear. Lanzarote is not collapsed by immigration. It is collapsed by the lack of planning, investment and efficient management. The problems with housing, the health system or public transport have not been brought by migrants in boats, but by years of short-term policies and priorities that have not always been where they should be. But of course, blaming those who flee from hunger, war or climate change is easier than taking responsibility. It is a political strategy as old as the hills.
And comparing Lanzarote with Lampedusa... oh, Mr. Mayor, if you were paid every time you use a hyperbole, the island would have better roads. For your information, Lampedusa has 6,000 inhabitants and has received more than 7,000 migrants in a single day. Are you seriously going to tell me that the situation is the same? Because if so, in addition to a problem of discourse, we have a problem of basic arithmetic.
Migration is not an invasion. It is a social phenomenon that has been happening all our lives. In fact, many Canarians also emigrated when the situation here was unsustainable. Perhaps it would be worth remembering that if our grandparents had been treated as you suggest we treat migrants, things would be very different.
And since we are talking about remembering, it is worth mentioning that before being mayor, you were a butcher. Which is very good, because meat is essential in any diet and all work is dignified. But perhaps, Mr. de León, instead of cutting reality steaks at will to feed an alarmist discourse, you could use your new position to ensure that public management does not end up being a sausage of incompetence and opportunism.
On the other hand, let's not panic either. It is no surprise that you are trying to divert attention with these speeches, especially when your own party is involved in more internal messes than a Venezuelan soap opera. Because of course, it is much easier to release sensationalist headlines than to explain why the right in the Canary Islands seems more occupied with its internal battles than in solving the real problems of the people.
Mr. de León, less Lampedusa and more rigor. And if you really want to do something useful for the island, start by putting your own house in order before pointing fingers at others.
