In 2019, a cycle of renewal of institutions at all levels of the archipelago began. A wave of progressive mobilization allowed to dislodge from town halls, island councils and the Government of the Canary Islands a formation self-denominated as "nationalist" that left a legacy of destruction, precariousness and corruption that our people put an end to through the noble mechanism of democracy.
The people voted and the parliamentary arithmetic laid the foundations for consensus among 4 political forces that accessed various areas of management with the aim of fulfilling the mandate of the citizens: to offer the archipelago new recipes, rethink it, reimagine it and turn that illusion into changes.
Three years later, the transformation that operates in our institutions and in the consciousness of our people is undeniable. As certain as this transformation is the evidence that, coexisting with commitment and institutional loyalty, there are legitimate differences between the forces that govern the islands today, and that day by day we make decisions guided by criteria and interests that draw from different sources.
As is known, in 2019 Podemos Canarias obtained from the citizens the mandate to enter the Government of the Canary Islands, where today it manages the Ministry of Social Rights, Equality, Diversity and Youth, as well as the Vice-Ministry of Culture and Cultural Heritage, areas in which our Minister Noemí Santana, our Vice-Minister Juan Márquez and their respective teams leave their skin daily.
However, the public debate of the islands transcends by far what can be framed within an area of government. Many times, it even transcends what can be framed within a complete autonomous cabinet, this being an indicator that the islands are alive, that they vibrate and demand that their institutions continuously adjust to what is lived, said and heard outside the official buildings. Civil society plays a fundamental role in daily political life that, more than necessary, is essential.
Any formation that aspires to offer people an archipelago project adjusted to their needs, their desires, their dreams must be attentive to the voices of the citizens, who lately have made themselves felt very strongly. This was the intuition that gave rise to Podemos Canarias and it is the fuel that allows a formation like ours to continue imagining daily islands in which life is happy and more dignified for all. It is not only about living or surviving. It is about living well. About having a good life and that is why we continue working daily. To build a better Canary Islands.
This implies that there is not a single aspect of life in the archipelago to whose debate we are going to renounce. Not a single one.
Some, absurdly, believe that a Podemos Canarias that only talks about its management areas is possible. A Podemos that does not point out the deficiencies of the current tourism model, that does not propose alternatives to a citizenship that demands them daily (and with reason) to those of us who occupy positions of public representation. Some find reason for anger in the evident fact that we do not stay in a corner, talking about equality and feminism, about beautiful things.
Some believe possible a Podemos Canarias that does not reflect in deep economic terms, after getting used to seeing us occupied in care policies, in youth or diversity policies (without realizing that both issues go hand in hand!). Some refuse to listen that it is necessary to overcome the model of destruction, diversify the productive model, end forever the precariousness that makes it so difficult to move forward. They do not get used to hearing us raise, calling ourselves government, that we cannot, nor do we want to, nor are we going to conform.
That the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development are first-order commitments, and not removable pins. That political coherence is not possible without courage. That it is possible to do politics in another way and free our land from the legacies of those who sold it.
That our future does not involve more macro-projects. That our natural, cultural and historical heritage is protected, not destroyed. That we are going to continue taking steps forward so that our land has an ecotax and that this will serve to alleviate the impact of a tourism that we must rethink urgently. That the progress of the archipelago is not measured in millions of tourists, but in public health places, in schools, in resources for mental health, in protection of our natural environments. That it is time to end a "low cost" that damages a destination that is of enormous quality and that it is time to bet on sustainability seriously. That it is time to take care of our environment, of our people, of the salaries that are charged in our land. Because if not, the rest, to the majority does not serve us for anything and only enriches those of always.
That we are going to continue improving the Canary Insertion Benefit, yes, but we are also going to ask that the load capacity of the islands be reviewed, and that vacation housing be regulated. That we are going to continue remembering that the road does not pass through more cement, but through the rehabilitation of our hotel plant and those accommodations that had become obsolete.
That we want a public electric company for the Canary Islands that reduces the bill of our people and contributes to reducing polluting emissions.
That no progressive government can afford not to advance in matters of social housing, because the citizens themselves are the ones who expect and need quick, forceful, visible actions to believe in politics, in their representatives and in a pact of progress that must be up to the illusion of those who, voting, made it possible.
And that, despite having had everything against us (pandemic, volcanic eruption, war), commitment and love for our land prevails. The belief in a future for the Canary Islands prevails, in one of improvement of the living conditions of the people, of their material situation and their rights.
And, above all, that we want to do all this in the only possible way: sitting down to talk with everyone. Unions, business community, third sector, political parties, governments, island and municipal institutions. To dialogue, to dialogue and to dialogue, to be able to start making policies according to what is heard in the street, with what the experts say, with what is spoken in the university, with the studies that with so much effort we elaborate from the governments, with what the youth asks to have future, in the bars and also in the manifestations.
Do you remember that thing about better to ask for forgiveness than permission? Sometimes politics has these contradictions. Sometimes, it is necessary to stir consciences to continue advancing.
Some have become accustomed to a Podemos Canarias circumscribed to the area of Social Rights.
They would do well to remember that our project is as broad as the reality of the archipelago and as its people are. As complex, integral and ambitious is our proposal for the islands as are their problems, opportunities and challenges, and we are going to leave our skin to offer a horizon to the Canary Islands at the height of our commitment to those who inhabit it.
Our horizon is the Canary Islands. Do not forget it. We do not forget it.
