As a democrat and a republican, I see political institutions as a tool to guarantee the rights and interests of the citizens. In short, a state — or any other level of public administration — has meaning insofar as the people perceive it is useful. In other words, a political institution must change profoundly if citizens are convinced that in its current form is of little use to them.
Catalonia has the right to call a referendum on independence, not because anyone has invented that right, nor because anyone has plucked the nation out of a hat, but because the citizens have the right, in Catalonia and anywhere else, to decide what form their institutions should take. Among other reasons, it is the people who have endowed themselves of the institutions to govern themselves. Like it or not, the institutions do not emanate from any god-given right...
In the case of the Catalans, the disparity in the political criteria between Catalonia and the Spanish state in the ground rules of society has come to light in recent years, and has become increasingly acute. The list of political conflicts between Spain and Catalonia is long, but it is worth highlighting a few so as to get an idea of their scope.
Firstly, although a broad spectrum of society, including the employers' associations and trade unions, along with most political parties, have for decades demanded a rail freight corridor be built to connect the length of the Mediterranean coast with Northern Europe, along with a high-speed rail connection, successive Spanish governments have refused to invest. Thus, eluding all economic grounds, Spain has consistently shown disdain for this infrastructure that Catalan society considers essential for economic and social development of the Mediterranean coastline.
Another case in point is the full-immersion system of education in Catalan which is supported by 80% of the Members of the Catalan Parliament. Although Catalonia has full responsibility for education, Spain has spent years trying to overthrow the system through the courts. Full immersion ensures students speak both Catalan and Spanish at the end of compulsory education. In fact, the system allows students to get marks in Spanish well above the average in Spain. In any case, the school system is defended by a massive majority in Catalan society, but it is constantly attacked by the Spanish institutions.
Finally, concerning the fiscal relationship between Catalonia and Spain, while the majority of Catalans consider net contribution to Spain is excessive (8.5% of Catalan GDP or €16.5bn every year), a level unmatched anywhere else in Europe, Spain refuses to review the Catalan funding system.
Given the profound political discrepancies, and the perception in Catalonia that Spain does not represent the Catalans or defend their interests, the citizens have the right to endow themselves with another state, one that they will find useful.
A lawyer and a lecturer in Administrative Law, Marta Rovira is the General Secretary of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, the pro-independence Republican Left of Catalonia.
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