Grimalt's fear. What a selective memory

Vicent Grimalt is back. And he is back scared. So much so that he has decided to return to the front line of politics and write an article on Denia.com, «Ens hi juguem molt», to warn us of all the horrors that await if the right governs. He speaks of fascism, regression and threatened rights. He even claims that the left is not using fear as an electoral weapon, only to then exclaim that his adversaries are frightening. A rather striking contradiction. But what is truly interesting comes when he invites us to look to the past. Well, let us look, Mr Grimalt. Although I suspect the journey will not be precisely the one you had imagined.

Let us start with ETA. The bombs, the shots to the back of the head, the children murdered and the families that lived in terror for decades. That was truly fear, Mr Grimalt. And there is no need to go far to remember it. On 30 January 2005, ETA detonated a rucksack with five kilos of explosives at the Hotel Port Dénia, facing the Marineta Cassiana. One hundred and ninety people had to be evacuated and five required medical attention. It was the last of the seven attacks that the group carried out in Dénia and Xàbia.

And it turns out that the PSOE has reached parliamentary agreements with EH Bildu, a party that in 2023 presented 44 candidates convicted of crimes related to ETA, seven of them for murders. Does that not merit some reflection when we talk of threats to democracy? And let us continue with Ábalos, Koldo and Cerdán, three men who held key positions in the circle around Pedro Sánchez. Two convicted and the third investigated after spending time in prison. Add a convicted attorney general, judicial proceedings affecting the president's family circle and investigations into Leire Díez and alleged manoeuvres against the judiciary. To the point that a woman linked to a drug trafficking clan has declared to the UCO that people from that network spoke to her of "eliminating" the judge investigating the president's brother. Does that not worry you, Mr Grimalt? Because this entire track record of scandals and judicial matters does frighten ordinary citizens. And greatly. But you prefer to warn us of misfortunes that have not yet occurred.

Meanwhile, Spain has problems that need no crystal ball: healthcare waiting lists, difficulties in accessing housing, railway shortcomings and a tragedy in Adamuz that left 46 dead, whose responsibilities are still under investigation. La Palma, the DANA and the fires have also left serious questions about the actions of administrations. Not to mention Ceuta, where a massive influx of over 70,000 people overwhelmed the border and put the state's response capacity to the test, despite prior alerts. Public services are not exemplary because a politician proclaims it from a platform. They are exemplary when they truly function. And the numerous shortcomings that citizens suffer deserve answers, not triumphalist speeches. If Grimalt believes that the right intends to curtail rights, the reasonable thing is to demand concrete measures, programmes and proposals from them. Announcing catastrophes without explaining their basis may serve for an electoral campaign, but it is no substitute for arguments.

And this business of announcing misfortunes seems to have become a speciality of Mr Grimalt. Always anticipating catastrophes, always warning us of the dangers that await, always taking the worst for granted before it happens. He said so himself in May, regarding the Tamarindos project: "I am very frightened". Dénia's Nostradamus has decided to broaden his horizons and now dares to forecast the future of all Spain. But before worrying so much about what might happen tomorrow, perhaps it would be worth looking at the city he governed for eleven years. Residents complain of dirt, dark streets, potholes, deteriorated pavements and green areas that are more brown than green. Should we fear that all this gets even worse? Or should we start by comparing the Dénia he found with the one he left? And above all, asking about the General Plan his government defended, about its legal resources and about possible compensation that could end up being paid with everyone's money. Because if planning decisions generate responsibility for millions, it will not be the mayor who pays from his own pocket.

Citizens do not need anyone to continuously point out who they should fear. They need information, results and politicians willing to answer for their decisions. You have every right to criticise your adversaries, Mr Grimalt, but your predictions are not proven facts and your own responsibilities cannot be left out of the debate.

You end by saying we have much at stake. You are right. We have at stake that democracy is something more than a competition of alarms. We have at stake that all parties, including yours, submit to the same examination. And we have at stake, above all, that politicians stop treating citizens like children who need to be frightened to vote "correctly".

So carry on looking to the future, Mr Grimalt. But next time you recommend we look to the past, do not close your eyes just when it is your turn to look at yours.