Lanzarote bids farewell this week to one of the darkest legislatures in its history. The scandal of the "Unión" case, the parade of public officials arrested and even sent to provisional prison, the confessions, the...
Lanzarote bids farewell this week to one of the darkest legislatures in its history. The scandal of the "Unión" case, the parade of public officials arrested and even sent to provisional prison, the confessions, the shameful dialogues intercepted by the UCO and the indifference that many politicians showed to that harsh reality, sealing incomprehensible pacts, are just a horrifying part of what happened in these four years.
In addition, all this was happening while the economic crisis harshly shook the island, which until now hardly knew unemployment, and suddenly found itself with dizzying unemployment figures. With the reality of people who have lost their homes and have had to depend on charity and soup kitchens to get by.
For all this, the people of Lanzarote gave their verdict on May 22. And they did so with awards to some forces, but above all with punishments. Punishments for corruption, paralysis, instability and even the central government and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, even though they were local elections.
If voters made anything clear, and also those who abstained, it is that Lanzarote needs a change. Now, in the hands of the elected officials, and the governments that arise from the pacts, is to respond to those demands of society. Because ahead, there are four fundamental years.
The priority obviously lies with the economy, at least to the extent that it may depend on the island's institutions. And although the tourism engine is starting to recover, the results must still be reflected in job creation. But in addition, the island needs a strong administration, capable of carrying out the necessary works, which have been slowing down for years and even decades.
The objective may seem difficult, in a scenario of crisis, in which the institutions are the first to go through economic hardship. However, precisely for that reason, it is time to claim what Lanzarote deserves. Both to the State and to the Government of the Canary Islands, for which this island has never mattered enough.
It is time to stop giving excuses to the regional Executive so that it does not invest in Lanzarote. So that we do not hear again that works are not carried out because on this island there are never consensuses or agreements. It is time for the public officials elected by the citizens to have enough firmness to achieve, neither more nor less, what Lanzarote needs and deserves.
In the elections to the Parliament of the Canary Islands, Lanzarote has played a key role. In fact, it contributed four vital parliamentarians for CC. For this reason, the island's institutions must now demand the same treatment that the island received during the electoral campaign, when the candidates for the presidency of the Canarian Government made an important bet on this island, with Paulino Rivero even closing the electoral campaign in Lanzarote. And if at that time the island was important, now it must continue to be so, and it is in the hands of public officials and institutions to ensure that this is the case.
But for this, it will be necessary to prioritize the interest of the island over the interests of the parties and political disputes. Forget about the personalism that has done so much damage to this island. Have a broad vision. Join the adversary when there is a common goal to fight for, and worry more about achieving it than about who gets the credit.
Some of these objectives may seem utopian, but they are part of the hope with which the beginning of any legislature should be faced. However, the last three weeks have been a rude awakening. In fact, the tense negotiations of the pacts, which are taking much longer than usual, and with darts crossing between those who could end up being partners, have begun to give reasons for disappointment.
Obviously, there are things about politics that will never change, and it is normal for two forces to haggle before sealing an agreement, and dispute the distribution of areas and positions. However, everything has to have a brake in time, and in this case it has been exceeded. And it is that the people who in theory are going to lead the institutions of the island during the next four years, cannot spend three weeks giving the image that they are making a distribution of cards or a chess game, trying to weaken the rival and at the same time having conversations with another possible partner.
All this is at the opposite extreme of what Lanzarote needs, and the parties should assume it and define as soon as possible the situation of the institutions where agreements have not yet been reached, to move on to occupy and worry about the problems of citizens.
