By Marta Penas Mur
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
On April 15, 2015, Antònia Casellas, professor at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain, gave a lecture at Hofstra University on Catalonia’s case. Throughout the presentation, co-sponsored by the Department of Global Studies and Geography and European Studies, Casellas analyzed the region’s history and discussed the emergence of the independence movement.
The talk was entitled “Catalans Want to Vote: Crisis, Politics and Identity in Spain.” You may have heard this sentence on the news or radio, or perhaps you may have read something about the Catalan situation on the newspapers. Now, who are the Catalans and what are they trying to accomplish by voting?
Catalonia is an autonomous region located in Spain’s northeastern corner, with its capital at Barcelona. The Catalan people have struggled for centuries to preserve their political and cultural identity. During Franco’s regime (1939-1975), Catalan nationalism was suppressed and the Catalan language was banned. Franco’s death 40 years ago represented the end of a dictatorship in Spain, which was followed by a successful transition in democracy.
Yet Catalans are having trouble expressing their opinions and deciding for their future, which raises a lot of questions about the quality of Spain’s democracy. For instance, on Nov. 9 last year, more than 2 million Catalans voted for independence in a straw poll, despite countless legal and political objections from the People’s Party government. Spain’s central government used the constitutional court to block the will of the Catalan people, unsuccessfully, as an “informal referendum” took place and 80.7 percent of voters backed independence. Catalans want to vote and decide their political future, just like Quebec and Scotland have previously done.
I was born and raised in Catalonia and I am a proud Catalan. I believe that the situation as it is right now is unsustainable. I am pro-independence, as I think that a Catalan state will be able to manage Catalonia’s resources better and more efficiently.
The Spanish state has long attempted to unify the country, despite ethnic and linguistic diversity. Spain has no intentions of moving towards a multinational or multilingual state, which conflicts with Catalonia’s interests. I am hopeful that Catalonia will be recognized as a country in a near future, and that a concept as simple as supporting the Catalan national soccer team in the World Cup will be a reality.
Economically speaking, Catalonia is Spain’s wealthiest region. With a population of 7.5 million, or 16 percent of Spain’s total population, Catalonia accounts for nearly 25 percent of Spain’s total GDP. In addition, Spain collects 23 percent of its total taxes in Catalonia, money used to subsidize less developed regions in Spain.
More than that, Spain’s investment in Catalonia during the period 1982-1998 only represented 8.5 percent from the total spent. The economic crisis has played a huge role in boosting the independence movement, as a large number of Catalans, including myself, are now skeptical about the effectiveness of Madrid’s centralized control of the country.
So, what does the future look like in Catalonia? Elections. President Artur Mas called early regional elections for Sept. 27 this year. Catalans will have the opportunity to freely and democratically decide their future and choose the next Parliament of Catalonia. If a majority of the Catalan people vote for pro-secession parties, Catalonia will advance the independence process.
Whether Catalans decide to move forward with independence or they choose to rebuild relations with Spain, the relevance of the vote is that Catalans will have the opportunity to let their voices be heard.
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