The Spanish government is planning to approve a new law that will avoid Spaniards to vote in the elections of their respective Autonomous Communitites. As this is a Spanish invention it is very difficult to translate and therefore difficult to understand for someone with little knowledge of Spain and of Catalonia. The concept of the ‘Autonomous Community’ -Comunitat Autonoma in Catalan- is a mix between a regional government and a separation of Spain into states, similar to the German Länder.
The problem of this system is that it is applied to all Spanish regions, no matter their own interest in having an own government and an own parliament. The interest in having an own parliament lies on the perception of your territory either as a region or as a nation.
And here lies the essence of the problem. Most Spaniards see their respective ‘Autonomous Communities’ as a region and the respective governments as regional governments without much interest.
Catalans, Basques or Galicians tend to see their Autonomous Communities as a nation, and their governments and parliaments as their national government, rather than a regional one.
As Catalan, Catalonia is the country I come from, where my people live, where my language is spoken, where my traditions are kept, where literature is made that corresponds to my culture, where they cook the food of my homeland, etc.
The only reason for me to keep a Spanish passport is that I can vote for the Catalan elections. Spain is not of my interest, not politically, not culturally. In no way Spain represents my culture or my language. The Spanish consulate and the Spanish cultural organisations in Holland do not represent who I am what so ever. And yet, Spain has the right to prohibit me my vote for Catalonia, my country.
Now the Spanish government is planning to apply a new law that will avoid us who live abroad to be able to vote for our Catalan elections (our national elections) we see this as a new measure in the process of regionalising Catalonia.
Such a measure would be unthinkable in Scotland or Quebec. But Spain is different. Spain is still miles away from a democratic country, still miles away from being a proper State of rights.
Not only because Spain is going to ban my right to vote in my homeland. Spain is far from being a State of rights because its judicial system is still today, several years after Franco’s death, not clean and impartial. All the contrary. In the highest Spanish judicial institutions you shall find, still today, several judges who were working under the fascist regime at Franco’s side, politicians who have direct liaisons with Franco’s party or other fascist organisations, and a judicial system directly ruled by the political parties, nothing as should be allowed in a proper State of rights.
And as a result of this Spain can go on prohibiting democracy and allowing fascism. This is happening in Spain today. Baltasar Garzón is a clear example of this. And Europe is doing nothing to stop this.
Again a new reason in favour of having an own Catalan state.
