It is undeniable that the government of the Popular Party, under the leadership of Astrid Pérez, has marked a before and after in the city of Arrecife. It is an undeniable fact that only those who refuse to see reality can ignore. Those who, due to their partisan blindness, and trusting that time makes forgetfulness, will defend to the last consequences that Santiago's white horse was black.
However, the truth is that with Astrid's government the transformation of Arrecife began. Just as you cannot cover the sun with a finger, it is a mistake to pretend that the many problems that Arrecife had and has will be solved overnight because there is no magic wand that can erase years and years of inaction, of pure political apathy, which is what there was in Arrecife before Astrid Pérez arrived at the Mayor's Office.
And I say it like this, because that's how I felt it and experienced it firsthand as a member of the Government. The city's problems were not simple inconveniences but authentic challenges that required urgent attention and effective solutions.
An example of this was the transfer of land for the construction of social housing in the Maneje neighborhood that we carried out in 2019 and that is back in the news these days with the imminent start of construction of the third building of 67 new homes. And yes, a procedure, that of the transfer of land for public housing in the city, which was carried out by the government of the Popular Party in the past term. Because one thing is to approve the initiation of a file and sit idly by, which is what the socialist government limited itself to doing, and quite another is to take it practically from scratch, work on it and finalize it, as the PP government effectively did.
Recognizing it is an exercise in honesty that this PSOE is not willing to do, nor will it do, in large part because of its ideological prejudices; the same ones that prevent them from recognizing, even with their mouths shut, that important steps have been taken and that Arrecife is much more of a city and capital than before, even with everything that remains to be done.
The road to the integral improvement of our city will be long and there will be no shortage of obstacles, but we must continue. We owe it to our neighbors. It is never too late to put aside gratuitous criticism and exercise constructive opposition. It is always a good time to join forces and work for the common good. After all, the color of the horse is the least of it.
