I like Migdalia Machín. I like her as a party colleague. I like her as an autonomous parliamentarian. I liked her as Minister of Sports, Youth and Road Education of the Cabildo. And I like her even more when I imagine her as general secretary of the Canarian Coalition Lanzarote.
My opinion about Migdalia is not free or capricious. She possesses a set of virtues that are more than evident. She is a young woman, with an incredible illusion to change things, who is committed to moving forward without renouncing unity and respecting the successful contributions of those who have more experience than her.
However, Migdalia's youth does not detract from a minimum of experience. Her preparation is beyond doubt. With a degree in Political Science and Public Administration, specializing in Latin America, her vocation and career have always been focused on the field of politics. Migdalia has been battling in the party for years; however, in 2012 she was elected deputy secretary general of the Nationalist Youths of the Canarian Coalition Lanzarote.
A privileged position that was not only a clear reflection of the support she received from the party's grassroots, but also allowed her to champion first-hand the proposals of the young people of the Canarian Coalition, whose role she always claimed and placed first. Together with her colleague Echedey Eugenio, she managed to make the nationalist youth gain importance, to be heard in the organs of the formation and to open our eyes to change in many aspects. Migdalia proposed that the new blood be a fundamental piece within our organization and with her effort, work capacity and commitment she achieved it.
Because of her empathy with the new generations, her capacity for work and her strong ideological conviction that only nationalism can achieve the improvements that Lanzarote and the Canary Islands need, the president of the Cabildo, Pedro San Ginés, trusted her when he appointed her Minister of Sports, Youth and Road Education in 2011, when Migdalia was barely 27 years old. It was the necessary step to take the great leap to the autonomous sphere: in 2015 she joined the Parliament of the Canary Islands, becoming the third youngest deputy of the legislature.
As a parliamentarian, I have had the good fortune to see her defend with conviction, respect and professionalism issues of social, educational and economic relevance for Lanzarote and the Canary Islands. From university scholarships to rural and fishing development programs, through native sports or the registry of patients with rare diseases. She prepares her interventions conscientiously, always with her head full of ideas and proposals to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of the eight islands.
Because Migdalia has always defended that projecting and planning the Canary Islands is a goal that can and should only be achieved with the union of the entire Archipelago. It is the same philosophy that I know she would apply in Lanzarote: she always has in mind the seven municipalities and would be able to lead a party with an exquisite balance between the necessary organic order and the essential participation of the local committees. A vertical and horizontal mandate coordinated for the promotion of our formation.
The Canarian Coalition has as its great merit the closeness to the problems of the people, the sensitivity with those who have the worst time and, above all, it has in the municipalities the greatest of its strengths. Therefore, the value of municipalism is the authentic essence that will lead us to continue reaping successes on the island's electoral map. In this context, Coalición Canaria Lanzarote draws on a series of horizontal leaderships with great recognition and social perception that surely a person like Migdalia will appreciate, guaranteeing that its coordination keeps us in a position of influence in the future.
Society demands changes from political parties, inside and out. If we don't do them ourselves, the destiny is uncertain. I believe that the time has come to face a real change, to look more like the society we intend to represent. For this reason, the commitment to a convinced, young nationalist woman with much to contribute to a political party that needs a new direction is more justified than ever. I would like to see her fight for the balance between the islands, representing ours and claiming the island reality in an Archipelago where life on a non-capital island is not always understood.
Migdalia is not helped by her last name, which has rather been another limit that she has passed with flying colors, like being young, a woman and from La Vegueta, as she likes to presume so much. It is unanimous in the party that everything achieved by this colleague has been the result of her effort, her attitude and the results she has obtained in her government experiences. In addition, her humility and closeness make up a combination that we all value. For all these reasons, I like Migdalia and I encourage her to be brave with the challenge of becoming the highest organic authority of the main nationalist party in the Canary Islands on the island of Lanzarote.
Marci Acuña, Mayor of Haría and deputy of CC-PNC in the Parliament of the Canary Islands
