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Spain
is determined to prevent a Catalonian referendum on independence, even
though its tough attitude toward Catalan leaders has probably only
increased enthusiasm for a measure with questionable support.
A
new round in a long game of chicken began earlier this month, after
Catalonia’s president, Carles Puigdemont, announced an independence referendum
on Oct. 1. Spain’s culture, sport and education minister, Íñigo Méndez
de Vigo, vowed: “What I can say is what will not happen on Oct. 1 — an
illegal referendum that goes against the Constitution.”
After
Catalonia’s government staged a nonbinding independence vote in 2014,
Spain charged the autonomous region’s leader at the time, Artur Mas,
with the crimes of disobedience and breach of
trust. In March, a court fined Mr. Mas the equivalent of $39,000 and banned him from holding public office for two years. The trial only succeeded in galvanizing Catalan separatists, as hundreds of thousands took to the streets in September to demand that their politicians push ahead on independence.
trust. In March, a court fined Mr. Mas the equivalent of $39,000 and banned him from holding public office for two years. The trial only succeeded in galvanizing Catalan separatists, as hundreds of thousands took to the streets in September to demand that their politicians push ahead on independence.
But
while independence was approved in the 2014 ballot measure, less than
half the electorate took part, and many Catalans see clear advantages in
remaining a part of Spain, such as membership in the European Union.
Continue reading the main story
Spain
might suppress secessionist impulses more successfully by putting its
own house in order. Political gridlock and two inconclusive elections
left Spain effectively without a national government
for 10 months last year, and while the government, reeling from a
corruption scandal, survived a no-confidence vote last week, the effort
showed that political divisions continue to roil Spain.
A
more capable central government could head off independence fervor by
giving the region a better economic return. Catalonia contributes nearly
a fifth of Spain’s gross domestic product, yet the region receives just 9.5 percent of Spain’s national budget. Negotiating in good faith with Catalan leaders to find a political solution,
rather than relying on the judiciary’s restrictive interpretation of
the Constitution to punish Catalan efforts for greater autonomy, would
also help.
The
best outcome for Spain would be to permit the referendum, and for
Catalan voters to reject independence — as voters in Quebec and Scotland
have done. Otherwise, Madrid’s intransigence will only inflame Catalan
frustrations.
P.D. : From a Catalan, thank you very much The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/opinion/catalonias-challenge-to-spain.html?ribbon-ad-idx=19&rref=opinion&module=Ribbon&version=context®ion=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Opinion&pgtype=article
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