Open Letter from Malgrat de Mar Mayor Conxita Campoy i Martí to President Artur Mas

A letter from the Most Honorable President of Catalonia's regional government arrives in my mailbox. I feel a rush of excitement, though I'm somewhat surprised—September 11th, our National Day, is far behind us, and Christmas even further.

I hold the envelope, wondering what the President wishes to tell me. Perhaps the regional administration will finally transfer the 1.6 million euros they owe us? Maybe he's expressing gratitude for how municipalities stand on the front lines during this crisis? I imagine he might announce a new employment initiative for young people, or perhaps expand support for dependency care (though that seems unlikely, given they voted against the law).

Who knows—perhaps he'll propose revisions to urban planning regulations so that increasing housing density doesn't require additional green spaces or facilities, since we can't afford to build them anyway. Or maybe they'll introduce land value assessments to prevent the kind of speculation we've recently endured. That would show real courage, though I suspect he'll claim it's Madrid's responsibility. But they could request that authority, couldn't they?

My mind races with possibilities. Will they sign agreements with municipalities that own industrial land, making it available to new entrepreneurs with the regional government and provincial councils covering rent? Only after two years, depending on jobs created, would they begin paying rent with an option to purchase. That would be thoughtful!

Perhaps he'll announce expanded funding for specialized employment centers—acknowledging their importance for normalization, social justice, and peace of mind for affected families. Or maybe they'll maintain nursery subsidies and allow us to expand certain classrooms to make them more affordable for families and sustainable for municipalities.

I continue speculating about the letter's contents. Might it address unemployment? For instance, those receiving the 400-euro benefit who still struggle to find work could be offered supplementary 400-euro contracts in exchange for services to public administrations or private companies. Surely the President recognizes, as I do, that unemployment becomes idleness, poorly directed idleness transforms into depression, and depression carries enormous social costs—manifested in people's suffering and family deterioration.

Perhaps he'll explain corrections to the deployment of the regional police force, the Mossos d'Esquadra, creating specialized units for inter-urban traffic control, serious crime investigation, and public order, while transferring community safety officers to municipalities. Maybe they've finally realized that only proximity guarantees daily security, and that this would substantially save money while increasing safety—naturally with proper municipal financing. The regional government could save significantly, and our towns would be safer.

What I most hope for is news about closing the county councils, with their staff—after appropriate training—transferred proportionally by population to municipalities within the same county to perform labor inspection functions. Society would be fairer if everyone paid their share, state coffers would increase, and citizens would receive better services.

I imagine what he might say about Catalan television, "yours," and that from now on it will show weather forecasts for the rest of Spain, since if we want to travel to Zaragoza or Madrid, we have to consult other channels. Every other network shows weather for the entire country—except "ours."

Foolishly, I even think he might announce an agreement with agricultural cooperatives to supply fresh vegetables to municipalities for families in need. The funding could come from subsidies given to certain newspapers.

Perhaps he'll thank us for our efforts with adult education programs—municipal work that helps prevent school dropout rates from being even worse.

In my delirium, I think the President's letter must concern something even more important, something I haven't even dreamed of. He has the "government of the best," so we should expect something truly remarkable. I know! They've called in the patriotic bond holders to ask them to renounce interest for the good of the country, with the regional government only repaying the principal! That could be done, right?

Finally, I trust he'll tell me that Minister Mas-Colell will no longer participate in the game they're making him play, because he's a serious person and it would be unfortunate if he lost credibility because of fiscal balance calculations. We face serious difficulties escaping our current predicament, but deceiving people with accounting tricks to create expectations is highly inadvisable.

So many things the President could tell me that my hands tremble. Should I open the letter now or wait? I can't stand it anymore. I open it and... oh! He tells me they've decided to commemorate the 300th anniversary of September 11th next year. And that despite the loss of liberties, the Catalan people have never surrendered. He invites us to participate in the planned events.

What a disappointment! You want to know something, Mr. President? I care very little about what happened 300 years ago. History is what it is. What's done is done, and if we allied with the wrong side, that's unfortunate. My mother used to joke: "Daughter, if things could be changed, how many would be done differently," ending with a knowing look. "If the Bruch drummer boy had done something else instead of playing his drum, who knows if we'd be French today?"

But to my point, President: What matters to me is knowing what to tell my constituents when they come to me crying, humiliated, desperate, because they no longer know what to do. I want to live in a region where leaders think not only of themselves but of their people. I don't want summits, I don't want a "government of the best." I want politicians and a government that don't waste time and that offer solutions to our current situation.

I want a President who apologizes for the Millet case and the other cases under suspicion or indictment, without claiming this responds to some Madrid-based conspiracy. I want him to denounce corruption entrenched in sectors of political, banking, industrial, and social life (black money). I know this first requires acknowledging that mistakes have been made.

I don't need to look back 300 years to see losses of liberty, which especially affect the most humble and the middle classes—because the other group, the political class and the economically powerful, continue enjoying luxury healthcare, private schools, and guaranteed university admission.

In just a few years of governance, we've formed a clear picture of their concept of the region and its people. Faced with incompetence, it's easier to blame Madrid. And yes, President, some people from Madrid and the rest of the country are guilty of feeding clear animosity toward Catalonia, but we cannot think that everything we've done and are doing is perfectly fine.

Nor do I need to look back 300 years to understand your concept and vision of our region, Mr. President. In my recent memory, I recall the tripartite government. There was no one available for a proper democratic transition. We had usurped a piece of power they thought belonged exclusively to Convergència i Unió, and the first message was about mismanagement and empty coffers. The tripartite had harmed Catalonia. And—life's paradoxes!—those who managed their portfolios worst gained votes, along with other parties that will make Catalonia and Spain ungovernable and difficult to manage.

But you prefer it that way, and also to sideline the socialists. You're not interested in us because we have a project for the region despite its complexity. The tripartite made a mistake, socialists included. We conducted a good-faith transition. Not one criticism about what we found from your previous governance. Now you make us pay instead of thanking us. The tripartite's error was not conducting an audit first and then explaining to the Catalan people how you left the accounts. And finally, calling elections. We didn't do that—we dedicated ourselves to managing what you left us; your inheritance.

You could have criticized things done well or what could have been done differently, as you've done during your terms. But instead of doing that, we got entangled with the statute. A statute you demanded be maximal to vote in favor, even knowing they would steamroll us. The erosion you subjected the tripartite to wasn't about how well or poorly that government managed but about the concept of possession, of what you believed was exclusively yours. You must know that Catalonia is also mine and above all belongs to the Catalan people, all of them. And I don't want independence nor to waste time while even one of us suffers hardship.

When you returned to governing Catalonia, your strategy was talking about the inheritance received—something we didn't do. And now that you're unable to change things, you pull the same old song from your hat. Don't deceive yourself, President, and work for everyone without distinctions. Instead of creating state structures, which we already have (Parliament, security, competencies, though some are shared), act as president and demonstrate you can manage what you currently have, which is substantial.

Your cuts policy is identical to the Spanish government president's: cuts to civil servants, dependency law, education, healthcare and...

What's the difference? I don't see one.

Submitted by Roberto Ferruz.