The recent Pleno meeting on October 6th exposed the anti-democratic practices within Orihuela City Council, as a legitimate question raised by Unidos por la Costa, formerly AVCRL, regarding waste tax was censored and truncated due to pressure from the VOX party, which threatened to vacate the chamber. This blatant disregard for democratic principles highlights a serious issue: the unequal representation and treatment of Orihuela Costa.
Contributors have three minutes to speak at the pleno, but when it was time for the Mayor to read the text, much of Unidos por la Costa’s question was omitted, supposedly because it exceeded the time limit. It seems that, should the mayor wish to do so, legitimate questions can be censored, while access to requested files can also be denied.
Unidos has consistently raised valid questions at the monthly council meetings, yet another separate question at the same meeting lasted for over six minutes. This incident highlights the dirty side of Orihuela politics.
Regardless of political alignment, actions matter most. Recent events in Valencia have turned the tables, with PP executive members distancing themselves from Carlos Mazon, the president of Valencia, due to his mismanagement of the DANA. Mazon previously pressured Mayor Pepe Vegara to step down due to legal issues, which Vegara refused. Vegara’s fate will be decided in court next April.
Orihuela Costa lacks real representation in the municipal hierarchy. Despite a population of over 33,000, the coast has absolutely no councillors that it can rely on in the decision-making process. The political machinery of Orihuela City simply uses the coastal area as a cash cow, evident in the unequal distribution of resources. You have only to look at the city parks, well equipped and well-maintained, while coastal areas suffer from neglect.
Costa residents continually fight for equitable resource distribution and democratic representation, and as such Orihuela Costa should have an equal number of councillors, but without this, the area will continue to struggle to achieve its fair share of the municipal budget.
To realise this, Orihuela Costa must form a political party with a leader who can unite the diverse communities, a leader who is honest, transparent, and accountable, someone who can earn the trust of their constituents.
It is only then that we can hope to make progress by uniting the coastal vote, with a view then to electing councillors of our own who can start to achieve a more equitable share of the municipal pot.
