� EDITION 646 :: 01/07/2011 - 14/07/2011 :: ISLAND CONNECTIONS7Islands

People politics!

CabildoNewsAfter prolonged specu-lation and rumour, we now know that

only one of La Gomera’s six municipal councils has a new leader as a result of the May elections.

The five municipalities of Alajeró, Hermigua, San Sebas-tián, Vallehermoso and Agulo continue as before, apart from a few minor personnel changes, with the same mayors heading the same local councils.

Manuel Plasencia in Alajeró, Solveida Clemente in Her-migua, Jaime Noda in Valle-hermoso and Néstor López in Agulo stay on as council leaders for another four years and were elected with a clear majority. Ángel Castilla continues as chief in capital San Sebastián, but heads a coalition council, having failed to win by a clear majority.

Results of the election in the sixth municipality, Valle Gran Rey, were uncertain until the very last minute. Confusion caused by the extraordinary manoueverings of the last in-cumbent, Ruymán García, in his attempts to hang on in there, as reported in this newspaper, had left La Gomera’s tourist town with no legal result.

Whilst his Big Boss, men-tor and erstwhile protector at island council level has been re-elected for yet another term of office, the protegé in Valle Gran Rey is most definitely out. In a last public act, which took place at the swearing in of the new council, he foretold trouble for the town that chose to wish him a not overly fond farewell.

The function room was full and crowds there to witness the entertainment were rewarded for their patience as outgoing mayor García took the micro-phone and foretold doom and disaster for an “abandoned Valle Gran Rey” without himself at the helm to guide it through the stormy waters of the impend-ing disasters he went on to list. He started by protesting that his party had actually won the elections and maintained that

Cheers and tearsBy Barbara Belt

Still waters run deep in Valle Gran Rey

he should rightfully continue as mayor, since he had clearly been voted back in.

Since the whole town is awash with accusation and police and court intervention on corrupt practices such as bought votes, registering non-existent voters and manipulated postal votes, the audience was understandably stunned. In-credulous gasps. Could he really have said that?

Undaunted, and totally un-abashed, the ousted mayor went on to threaten the electorate, foretell financial ruin for all, list his many achievements and insult his successor, Miguel Angel Hernández, calling him “a beast of burden”, unfit for public service.

The result was instant uproar: hoots, howls, laughter.

Ex-mayor Esteban Bethen-court, chairman of the event and suitably deadpan, stepped in to remind García to “...confine himself to the matter in hand”, and to ask everyone for calm. Tumultuous applause greeted this simple request.

When García defected from Bethencourt’s party three years ago, subsequently introducing a motion of censure to oust his former boss and become

mayor himself, the library be-low the function room, in best dramatic tradition, was full of Guardia Civil standing by in case of violence. The hall was similarly packed and it was all very exciting, with hecklers ‘escorted’ out.

Happily, people seem to have got the hang of the safety in numbers idea now. If everyone heckles, laughs, hoots and shouts, it’s OK. Police can’t remove an entire audience. Only the two local policemen were on hand to keep order this time and no evictions were even attempted.

Major uproar broke out afresh when the ex-mayor mentioned the word ‘amor’. Incredibly, on he ploughed, obviously unconscious of his much dis-cussed fame as a ladies man. An ex-trainee priest and married father, his unwelcome, graphic text messages to the usually ample ladies he admires have caused widespread mirth for some time. The fact that the Big Boss had to prevent him from naming his current favourite as deputy mayor is, likewise, common knowledge.

Hoots, shouts, catcalls, cack-ling laughter.

Mayor before last, Esteban Bethencourt, who has been holding his own against cancer for some years, then spoke of his “extreme satisfaction at surviving to witness the traitor’s downfall” and admitted the sweet prospect of revenge had kept him going throughout. This was good, dramatic stuff of novela (South American soap opera) calibre. The thrilled audience lapped it up.

TV crews raced up and down the packed hall trying to film the erupting audience, many of whom had celebrated San Antonio by dancing the previous night away and were in carefree condition.

New mayor, headmaster Miguel Angel Hernández, dem-onstrated the use of both a working brain and sense of hu-mour in his first official speech, thanking the ex-mayor for be-ing instrumental in, “... finally forcing previously opposing parties to join forces just to get him out”. Laughter and cheers. Then he endeared himself to the crowd by shedding a few tears. Whether they were of joy, or terror at the prospect of spending the next four years in such circumstances, remains unclear.

Presidential addressAt the election of the new Tenerife Cabildo, returning

president Ricardo Melchior said that “it is always an honour and a responsibility to be a member of this insular body, and by taking office this afternoon we are beginning a new phase in which we must, more than ever, work with courage, unity and a wider vision to see our way out of the adverse situation which we have all had to face”.

The new Cabildo is made up of members of the Coalición Canarias and the Partido Socialista Obrero de España.

The ceremony was watched all over the world thanks to the wonders of new technology, and the president greeted those watching from afar. “We don’t forget the many Tinerfeños and Canarians in general who had to emigrate but keep in constant contact with our island”.

Wood for the treesTenerife agricultural councillor José Joaquín

Bethencourt, accompanied by the director of the Fundación Banco Santander, Borja Baselga, paid a recent visit to the zones where the Fundación, under the technical supervision of the Canarian Ornithological society and the collaboration of the Cabildo and the Global Nature foundation, are working. The project is to reforest the zone as well as encourage the repopulation by local flora.

Bethencourt and Baselga visited La Tahonilla, the Finca Ecomuseo in El Tanque and the Finca Boquín in Icod de los Vinos, where experts were on hand to take them through progress in each area to date. Bethencourt expressed his belief in the huge importance of public/private partnerships in the defence of the environment, citing this work as an example to be followed in the future.

Summer promotionsTurismo de Tenerife won’t be taking holidays, instead

they are busy with a series of summer promotions aimed at potential holidaymakers in the Spanish peninsula and beyond.

The drive to attract national tourists lasts a month and is being carried out in conjunction with tour operators, and via the Internet, the national press and familiarisation trips to the islands for those in the trade.

The promotional team will be working with Travelplan, Orizonia (part of Viajes Iberia and Iberojet) and Viajes El Corte Inglés and place ads in El Mundo, El País, La Razón, La Vanguardia, El Periódico and ABC. Tenerife is being pushed as an ideal spot for those who like sun and sea as well as warm temperatures, nature and tranquillity. Special mention is also being given to Puerto de la Cruz, a destination much favoured by national visitors, particularly since recent renovations in the destination.