The original sin of Minister Puente

MadridI would like to believe that Transport Minister Óscar Puente's approach to political participation will be different after his recent experiences. The most solemn and dignified ceremony for the Adamuz and Gelida train accidents took place last Thursday at the Carolina Marín Sports Palace in Huelva. The most significant moment at this state funeral was the speech by Liliana Sáenz, daughter of one of the victims. "We are the families [now 46] who will fight to know the truth," she said, emphasizing the meaning and purpose of her words. "Only the truth," she added, "will help us heal this wound that will never close. We will know the truth, we will fight to ensure there is never another train accident, but we will do so with serenity, with relief."

The King and Queen of Spain presided over the ceremony, while Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was absent. Sáenz's speech was met with enthusiastic applause from the 4,350 people present who came to support the victims' families. Hours earlier, in the Senate, Minister Óscar Puente was met with shouts and calls for his resignation from PP (People's Party) parliamentarians. The contrast between the atmosphere of these events is understandable, but the coincidence of them occurring on the same date is less so. We should, however, consider the pace of the investigations into the Adamuz tragedy to be a positive development, as they are substantially revealing the existence of deficient track maintenance on the section where the accident occurred.

The Minister of Transport has held his own and faced the public, but this has not guaranteed the clarity of his messages. Stating that the Madrid-Seville line underwent a "comprehensive renovation" is not a sufficient definition to dispel doubts about the scope of the work carried out and its effectiveness. The reservations that these kinds of explanations might provoke are even greater because Puente expressed his displeasure with the statements made by the head of the Railway Accident Investigation Commission (CIAF), Ignacio Barrón. Among other things, Barrón had said that "the Spanish railway has very positive aspects," highlighting "the high-speed network, the increase in passengers […] but it is going through a delicate moment not because of the accident, but because of the incidents," which is why the issue needs to be addressed.

In statements to the magazine of the College of Engineers, the president of the CIAF didn't stop there. He added that Adif has "a huge imbalance within its own organization, because it is allocating millions of euros to building new infrastructure while simultaneously maintaining and operating a network where not everything that should have been done has been done." "We must internalize maintenance," he said, to be even more explicit, referencing "a famous saying that maintenance projects aren't inaugurated and another that says goods don't vote," which, he said, "gives us an idea of ​​how the business is being approached." And in other statements, he said that after hearing the minister talk about the "comprehensive renovation" of the section where the accident occurred, "we all thought a complete overhaul had been done, and that hasn't been the case."

The role of Puente

For his part, Puente explained in the Senate that "renovating a high-speed rail line doesn't mean tearing it up entirely and rebuilding it; that's unthinkable." He also said he didn't understand "the obsession with whether it's the welding or the rail." And he concluded by adding, regarding the commuter rail network, that maintenance needs more resources and "a different approach." It's clear that the Ministry of Transport has had to accept the inevitable assumption of political responsibility for the state of that network. The Catalan government was right to demand it, and the Ministry was right not to resist.

However, the dismissal of a high-ranking official from Renfe and another from Adif doesn't solve the problem. On the other hand, the Minister shouldn't be surprised by the forceful way the opposition is treating him regarding the rail crisis. It's partly the price he pays for his own style. He'll find it hard to accept, but his original sin is a penchant for easy insults, bickering, and bitter, inconsiderate confrontation. If he's now raising suspicions and being denied credibility, it's because he's reaping what he sowed, like a boomerang effect. What makes no sense is that the PP has tried to compare the situation to the 2013 accident at the A Grandeira curve, when the essential factor in explaining the tragedy was a serious error by the train driver. Furthermore, Sánchez will appear before Congress on February 11th, whereas on that occasion Rajoy offered no explanation to Parliament.

The government is eyeing Junts i Podem

This function, that of overseeing the government, is one of the basic functions of any parliamentary assembly. But there is another: that of building consensus. And here we are not doing well. The revaluation of pensions can be reinstated. However, the move to include this measure in an omnibus decree could not succeed this time. This is not the way to increase confidence in the Congress and the Senate. Governing by decree is not a good proposal, nor the best system for combating the effects of the fragmentation of the Spanish Parliament. It must be said, however, that everyone has abused this tactic. Between 1996 and 2020, for example, 463 decree laws were passed in Congress. It is more advisable to work towards agreements, even in the more complex approach of playing both sides. The Socialists have done this now, and have achieved parallel progress by sharing power with Podemos and Junts.

Podemos, through Ione Belarra, had declared Junts's positions on immigration to be "racist." The fact that the government has moved forward with negotiations with Podemos on one hand and with Junts on the other regarding this issue is intelligent, although the outcome is uncertain. It remains to be seen how flexible Belarra and her colleagues will be, because they want changes to the texts agreed upon by the Socialists and Junts. The spokesperson for Junts, Miriam Nogueras, has stated that they will not accept modifications to the content of the agreed-upon articles, while Podemos explains that they will not settle for a mere revision of the preamble. If they know what is best for everyone, they should reach an agreement.