The attack of sincerity that has revolutionized the Majorcan left

PalmaRelaxed, in a podcast without apparent media impact, Ferran Rosa, deputy of Més per Mallorca, had an attack of sincerity last week that has revolutionized the Mallorcan left. He has been criticized for saying that the left did not do enough to curb tourist growth during the Pacte de Progrés and that, therefore, "they should have lost the 2019 elections".The relaxed format of the podcast L’hora de la sesta, the fact that he was among friends –political scientists Julián Claramunt and Pau Torres– and that he did not expect it to have many listeners, made him lower his guard. But his words have reopened wounds in the formation.

In the podcast, Rosa, who is a member of the permanent executive, lashed out at the management of the previous executive and leadership of the parliamentary group and pointed to the former president of the Consell de Mallorca: "Leading is doing things correctly, not like Miquel Ensenyat, who builds a highway in Campos and goes to see how they make friar Juníper Serra a saint", he pointed out, recalling that these are not projects apparently compatible with the environmentalism and secularism that the left defends. Furthermore, he considered that "the PP is the one that has best read why the left lost" the elections.

The consequences of these comments arrived last Monday, when the mayor of Esporles and former spokesperson for Més in Parliament, Josep Ferrà, sent him a nine-page letter on behalf of "a group of militants who feel with pain the contempt towards us". "With covid-19 (...) was it the moment for the people of Mallorca to worry about tourism? Only a comfortable political official can think of such a thing", he said. He also criticized Rosa for having questioned the party's action "with a certain arrogance and relaxed on a sofa, and with an absence of coherent self-criticism from someone who held positions in the PSIB and Podem councils".

Demands self-criticism

The deputy received the letter that same night, but he was not the only recipient, as it was already in the hands of a good part of the militants. Rosa refused to respond to Ferrà, but insisted that the left must reflect. "We must question why, in a context where 80% of Majorcans are in favor of Més's proposals, such as tourist degrowth, affordable rental prices, and the repair of the language, there are people who do not vote or who vote for other parties," she said.

In conversation with l'ARA, Claramunt, who is an advisor for Barcelona en Comú, believes that the relaxed atmosphere of the interview contributed to opening Pandora's box. "As an advisor, I dedicate myself to creating arguments, and for a traditional media outlet, you normally sit down and prepare your message; in contrast, in this case, the interviewee was not very prepared," he comments. Nevertheless, he applauds the improvised act of transparency, because it has uncovered "a pending debate for the entire left, including social movements."

"If I didn't dedicate myself to politics and read these statements, I would think this guy is cool, sincere, and not an impostor," considers a party source. A part of the militants and former officials of the party have also applauded him. However, internally there is great controversy. "He is disloyal," laments this source: "He operates on an individual, not a collective, level." He sees a parallel with the communication of the spokesperson for ERC in Congress, Gabriel Rufián: "On Instagram, people think he's a champion, but among his colleagues, he doesn't have a good reputation." "You have to know how to probe and see what game everyone is playing," he adds. Several people have complained to the leadership, including former officials from previous governments. The general coordinator, Lluís Apesteguia, has declined to make statements on the matter.