Casimiro Curbelo
Lack of solidarity and incomprehension are terms that have gone hand in hand in the Canary Islands in recent times. There are several challenges of these islands that are confined under a space in which some, on one side or the other, are incapable of giving in, to reach agreements that improve this land. Sometimes, I feel that politics has put aside its most human side, to enter a tortuous path of mutual accusations and reproaches, which place the problem before us in a secondary place.
These days, when there is so much talk about judicial processes, the immigration crisis has once again been put on the back burner. And the worst of all is that we have not yet managed to resolve the situation faced by more than 5,400 migrant minors who remain under the guardianship of the Government of the Canary Islands. It's a shame that we continue to be bogged down at this point. It is perfectly reprehensible, on the part of the entire Canarian society, that the major political parties put the media news or the photo before responding to a humanitarian drama that affects boys and girls who see the Canary Islands as a gateway to Europe.
I feel helpless seeing how so many opportunities for agreement have been missed on issues that have nothing to do with this crisis. Any excuse always prevails for not adopting concrete measures to put an end to an extreme situation, both for the reception services and for the lives of the human beings they serve.
We must all stop and reflect on whether the future of politics should be this state of continuous confrontation to which we have reached. We must not forget that these islands are experiencing the consequences of one of the most dramatic social phenomena in the world, with thousands of lives remaining in the ocean and many others perishing before leaving the African coast.
I have reiterated on many occasions that we have to strengthen diplomatic channels with third countries, and commit to international cooperation through projects that generate economic opportunities in those environments, but, at the same time, intensify cooperation from Europe and the State for surveillance on the southern border of the continent that is the Canary Islands, and prevent the mafias that operate from other points from achieving their desired objective through our archipelago.
We must provide effective and lasting solutions that guarantee respect for human rights, and not improvisations that only serve to patch up and fill more newspaper pages. This is not a game board, these are the lives of people who want a better future because they cannot achieve it in their countries.
I appeal to common sense not to delay these solutions any further in time, through shared planning between the Canary Islands, the Government of Spain and Europe. At the same time, we have to achieve, from home, an agreement that allows us to impose the solidarity that in some territories of our country does not seem to prevail.
Time is running out. Better said, we are in the discount. No one would understand that we are not capable of putting a solution on the table. It's time to try the last call.
