What now? (after 20A)

April 22 2024 (19:37 WEST)
Updated in November 5 2024 (11:17 WEST)

We had been talking and listening for weeks about the demonstration on April 20th, many asked me for my opinion and others still ask me, did you go?

No, I didn't go because some insisted on giving it the sensationalist touch that we are very overcrowded with tourists who are destroying our island, something that is untrue although there are specific hours and places that are very saturated, but due to poor access management, as happens in the Mountains of Fire where you can still go in your car and park on the mountain itself.

That's why I will always be against the use of that word because I don't think we are saturated with tourists but very poorly managed, although I have hope that changes will come, and I don't think it will be precisely because of yesterday's demonstration.

However, the power of some media and social networks has simplified Saturday's demonstration into a large mass saying "no more tourists".

And there have been so many, that even the organizers say they did not expect such a response because even they do not know what was the reason or rather the reasons why so many people took to the streets.

The reality is that we Canarians have nothing against tourists; moreover, we are aware of the progress we have made since the beginning of tourism, and we are aware of our dependence on it.

I do recognize that from the sector and, above all, from the administrations, not everything has been done well because we should have stopped many years ago instead of bringing more and more tourists, but we didn't.

We should have listened to that message from César of "less is more", but we didn't and now every day that passes it becomes more difficult because every day the population is larger and also does not stop growing.

But now after April 20 we see that all political parties claim to take up the gauntlet of the message, some appeared in the demonstration after doing nothing, and raised banners with "not one more tourist" or "the Canary Islands has a limit".

Even the César Manrique Foundation joined the demonstration while billing thousands of euros every day without establishing a limit of tourists/day in its dependencies or spending years without worrying about the maintenance of César's works, because that is not their concern, as long as many tourists come to their facilities.

But, as I said at the beginning, I did not go to the demonstration because in the end it remained a cry where it seems that tourism is to blame for all the ills suffered by this land and its people.

Each and every one of the political parties says that they have heard the message and will work to make it so.

What hypocrisy!

Perhaps they do not want to realize that the main reason for the people who attended the demonstration on Saturday is that they are fed up with the daily problems they suffer:

• Lack of housing, not because of vacation rentals but because of a non-existent housing policy without building public housing for more than 20 years and with blocked general plans that have meant that hardly any houses are built but hotels are.

• Endless waiting lists or even days or weeks of waiting to go to your family doctor.

• Excess of cars due to a public transport that is not ineffective but disastrous, and some cases non-existent as in some villages of our geography, Masdache a clear example.

• Schools that every time it gets hot, classes must be suspended due to unbearable heat in the classrooms.

• Water cuts and power outages.

• Impunity with tourists and residents who do crazy things in our natural landscapes in search of the perfect photo.

• Uncontrolled immigration, not only by boat but also via the airport.

• The increase in the cost of living, not only of housing but even of bread for the sandwich.

• Bureaucracy in search of solutions that bore us and make us waste time one day, the next and the other.

• Streets, sidewalks dirty and broken very broken.

• That the dependency law answers you when your relative has already died.

• Lack of green areas, kindergartens, parks to play, walk, etc.

• Bread and circus to entertain while we do not solve the daily problems.

• And many other daily problems that we suffer daily.

And that is not the fault of the tourist, it is our fault, of all of us, I include myself because I am a politician, atypical but a politician.

Saturday's demonstration was not against the tourist but against the disastrous management of politicians and especially the political parties of all colors, the ones now, the ones before and the ones long before....

We have simply not been up to the circumstances and the Canarians are tired of us, of listening to us in gatherings blaming each other while the house remains unswept.

So if you want to take up the gauntlet of what was expressed yesterday in the demonstration, start, let's start generating a change with a great island pact and with a lot of head or even someone can take a step back and stay at home for the good of all of us.

The Canary Islands are tired of hypocrisy and we want good public services, health, education, social services.

And remember, the Canary Islands do not have a limit, the Canary Islands can do whatever they want, even govern themselves if necessary.

I understand that all of us do have a limit and we are already tired of bad management suffered since democracy arrived where every day we pay more and have less.

Although I also tell you that things are not changed by going to demonstrations but by taking a step forward and trying to manage from politics our neighborhood, our municipality, our island and our Canarian land.

So let's stop nonsense and start working on the change, starting with ourselves, let's stop looking for culprits and set an example daily.

The Canary Islands simply need the best that each of us can give in all areas.

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