Every day is so dizzying that it's hard to even remember what happened the day before. The last months of this 2009 that is coming to an end have been a real whirlwind of news, and almost none of it good. In the midst of ...
Every day is so dizzying that it's hard to even remember what happened the day before. The last months of this 2009 that is coming to an end have been a real whirlwind of news, and almost none of it good. In the midst of judicial scandals, arrests and confessions, even motions of censure (three in the last months) have sometimes lost prominence.
All, except for the one in Arrecife, which was on the front page of national newspapers such as Público, and reached the top positions on the digital pages of El País and El Mundo, with headlines such as "the PP takes the mayoralty of Arrecife with the support of two defendants for corruption". And all this, linked to the fact that that same morning, the Popular Party approved the Code of Good Practices, with which it tried to respond to the scandals that have affected the party with the Gürtel case plot.
But while newspapers throughout Spain were embarrassing Mariano Rajoy himself for what happened in Arrecife, on this island a good group of citizens went to the City Hall to applaud the incredible situation that was experienced in the plenary hall of the capital. There were also boos, it is true. And shouts of "down with corruption". But the voices that were striving to show their outrage at what was happening were drowned out by those who asked for "respect". By those who, at the end of the plenary session, greeted, smiled and even embraced Ubaldo Becerra and José Miguel Rodríguez, who had not set foot in the Consistory for seven months.
First, for being in provisional prison within the framework of Operation "Unión", and later, by their own decision. Because neither their indictment, nor the fact of having confessed before the judge that they charged illegal commissions, and that this was even a "custom", has so far made them hand over their act, despite the fact that until this Monday they had not deigned to appear at the Consistory.
And as if that were not enough disrespect to the citizens of this island, they even became essential to decide the present and the future of Arrecife, giving their vote to change hands the Mayoralty of Arrecife and hand it over to the popular Cándido Reguera. Some of his new partners could not help but laugh (as can be seen in the videos of the plenary session published on lavozdelanzarote.com), when the new mayor said that from now on the walls of the City Hall will be "made of glass" to guarantee the transparency of the management.
Thus, while in places like Marbella, citizens took to the streets to show their outrage to the politicians involved in the "Malaya" case, in Lanzarote others go to applaud them. And the rest, probably those same ones that form the enormous percentage of abstention and blank vote on the island, stayed at home or in their jobs.
While the Court of Instruction Number 5 and the Public Prosecutor's Office have said "enough is enough", and have uncovered the darkest and most sinister side of a good number of politicians, businessmen, civil servants and even ordinary citizens, it gives the feeling that the island does not want to follow the same rhythm.
And neither does the Ministry of Justice, which despite the request of the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands and the General Council of the Judiciary, has decided to deny the requested reinforcement for the Court of César Romero Pamparacuatro. A Court that has been totally overwhelmed to combine the instruction of this summary, of about 15,000 pages, and the rest of the cases that arrive on a daily basis, including the corresponding guards that must be faced.
If to the judicial situation, which this year has also included the arrest of José Francisco Reyes and the indictment of another ten people in the case opened in the Court of Instruction Number 2 of Arrecife, for the massive granting of illegal licenses in Playa Blanca, is added the political drift and the economic debacle that this year has hit the island hard, without a doubt 2009 could go down in history as one of the worst remembered in Lanzarote.
However, whether it is or not depends on everyone. Because just as to get out of the economic crisis we will have to learn from the mistakes and take firm steps towards the future, the same happens with the rest. And in the hands of everyone, from the institutions that are above the island, through each of the politicians of Lanzarote, and ending in all citizens, is the possibility of making 2009 the year of the full stop. The year that served to learn and change course. The year in which the majority decided to join those who were preaching alone in the desert, and joined to shout "enough is enough". If not, it will simply be the year of shame.