Wednesday 2 December 2009

December 13th, the power of the Catalans

Sincerely, I think that the initiative of more than one hundred Catalan Town Councils, of celebrating, on December 13th, the ballots for the independence of Catalonia has not been valued in all its dimension. When everybody talks about what will be a historical moment, which began at Arenys de Munt, very often it is not understood that it means that Catalan people organizes themselves to vote, and decide which has to be their political status. Has anybody seen anything similar elsewhere?

Now that political corruption cases like "Palau de la Música" or Sta. Coloma de Gramenet have come out to the public, the analysts affirm that this will originate a great political disaffection. This situation, that has been going for long time, it has only been detected when the monies were not accounted for. They did not know to see beyond the sentence of a judge from Madrid.

In fact, we are installed in the disaffection and divorce between the people and their leaders. The best example is everything that has derived from the last September 13th at Arenys de Munt. From that moment, and seeing that practically all politicians of the country minimized and watered down the success and the transcendence of the poll at Arenys. Since then, a great number of patriots have started off to make the ideal happen, the one that has been systematically denied; to be able to decide, democratically, whether we want to become an independent Nation or not. In fact, what is happening is that people want to vote but is not allowed. Then, these people ignore and challenge the actual Spanish legislation, organize themselves, initiate a proper electoral process, take ballot boxes and vote. This is not only political disaffection, this is an override of the actual system and the creation of a new one. Revolutions in the 21st Century are done this way! Catalonia has demonstrated that despite the colonization suffered until now, still is a nation capable to teach lessons of democracy and civics.

The popular initiative, begun in a town of el Maresme, and that will continue wholesale on the 13th, dynamites any authority still remaining to the Spanish and Catalan governments. We are immerse in a proper power void and now is when big changes can be made. You only need to pay attention to the silent answer from the structure of the parties with representation in the Parliament. They do not know how to stop this army of ballot boxes and voting papers that is threatening to convert the Principality of Catalonia in a democratic battlefield for the breakage with Spain. They do not want to even talk about it, nor want to debate it. Sulking and hiding their heads under the wing because they know by intuition that 700000 Catalans called to vote, not controlled by them, will not bring any good to their interests. Because they do not know how to manipulate this process, do not know how to act. Will Independence be proclaimed on December 13th?, they think.

I am convinced that more than a political leader of this country is thinking about April 14th, 1931, when everything changed in the matter of hours due to the force of the votes and an absolutely putrid system, exactly like now. None of who formed the political leadership at the time remained in their places and new political actors -most of them unknown to the public- took power.

We are in front of a challenge to the powers of the State without any support by the Catalan institutions, something that gives it a popular and civic revolution smell. For the first time in many years all organizations, platforms or patriotic associations work coordinated to achieve the same objective. What it seemed impossible a few months ago, is today a reality, and everybody has understood that these ballots, in December, are the primaries for independence. Only a few days now and the foot has to floor the throttle so that we arrive at the date in the best possible conditions. He must create an authentic atmosphere of plebiscite for the independence of Catalonia. If we achieve victory it will be ours, and what could seem only a dream a few days ago will become reality.

Santiago Espot
CEO Catalunya Acció

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