The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, will travel today to Almería to see firsthand the situation of the worst fire Spain has experienced in decades. He will surely do so accompanied by the President of Andalusia, Juanma Moreno. Since Friday, when the magnitude of the tragedy became known, with at least 12 deaths, both have behaved as two presidents are expected to, putting management and attention to citizens, especially the victims, above their political and party interests.
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What is regrettable is that it is so unusual to see that coordination, that cooperation, and those behaviors, that the normal becomes extraordinary. The first hours of the fire in Los Gallardos did not bode well. The Secretary General of the PP, Miguel Tellado; the spokesperson of the PSOE, Montse Mínguez; and the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, turned into arsonists, made one think of what happened with the dana in Valencia, but the presidents of the central government, of the PSOE, and of Andalusia, of the PP, knew not to fall into the provocation of one or the other and got to work.
Experts have confirmed that Es-Alert, in this case, was not appropriate
Tellado, Mínguez, and Puente, turned into haters (the Spanish translation is odiador, but who uses it? We use odiosos, but odiadores?). Well, Tellado, Mínguez, and Puente, turned into haters, went for the opponent’s jugular, I don’t know if thinking that this could get them votes, which I hope not: that they didn’t think so and that it doesn’t get them votes. Who was first, Tellado or Mínguez, I’m not sure, but with 12 dead on the table, the Secretary General of the PP stated that “Spain needs a central government focused on management that, unfortunately, we do not have today” and practically at the same time, the spokesperson of the PSOE launched a “Damn it! Really another Es-Alert without sending?”.
The Andalusian president, Juanma Moreno, and the newly appointed first vice president of the Junta, Antonio Sanz, had to give explanations about the inconvenience of sending alerts in this case, due to the difference in messages that should have been sent depending on the locations, in an area of very scattered houses. Experts have confirmed that Es-Alert, in this case, was not appropriate. There has been no correction.
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The Minister Óscar Puente, always too attentive to social networks and turned into a commentator on everything said by the opposing side, responded to Tellado: “But is this piece of scoundrel blaming the Government of Spain for the Almería fire and its consequences? When they cut the firefighting forces, which are their responsibility, and are not capable, ONCE AGAIN, of sending the Es-Alert message!”. His colleague, the Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, visiting the area on Saturday, contradicts him, emphasizing that these types of decisions “are made based on technical criteria” and that “I do not have an opinion that can either disavow that decision or even question it.”
In the face of these insults, it is a relief that Pedro Sánchez highlighted in his social media messages that he had spoken with the Andalusian president and that “we have worked from the first moment with maximum collaboration between institutions to face this tragedy.” It is also appreciated that the Andalusian president did not want to continue down the path of reproach to the central government started by the number two of the PP. When asked about Tellado’s words in an interview on Telecinco, he limited himself to saying: “Right now I am focused on what I am doing, which is extinguishing the fire.”
Sánchez will travel to the area today and everything suggests that he will continue the harmony with Juanma Moreno, that they will behave as they should, as happened in Adamuz after the train accident in which 46 people died, but how long will it last?
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