Jorge Campos of Vox in the Balearics

Jorge Campos was critical of "a socialist and communist political caste". | @ParlamentIB

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma10/11/2020 20:13
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In parliament on Tuesday, Marc Pérez-Ribas, the leader of Ciudadanos in the Balearics, called for a government reshuffle, arguing that the current composition of the government "is not the most appropriate to meet the challenges of Covid-19, as it requires the capacity to propose and efficiently manage European aid projects".

Pérez-Ribas criticised the inefficiency of a government that splits the management of innovation across four ministries and four directorates that are run by "three different parties". He added that there is a "lack of empathy with the citizens, the self-employed and small business". "The current government is not efficient, it isn't a facilitator and it isn't transparent. The government needs renewing, the number of senior officials and advisors needs reducing, and there should be an audit, as requested by parliament following the proposal from Ciudadanos."

President Armengol defended measures to strengthen the main public services and to reactivate the economy. Regarding efficiency of public policies, she explained that the government has a public company for European projects that will receive funds over the next six years. On the government's emergency employment plan, she observed that this has the support of employers and unions and that the government "looks closely at the efficiency of public resources". The regional ministry of finance, she added, is "exhaustive" in the processing of public resources.

Related to the number of senior positions, Jorge Campos of Vox called for the elimination of the 22,000 euros a year residence allowance for all government officials. He noted that the monthly bonus of over 1,800 euros is 27 times more than a Guardia Civil officer receives as compensation for insularity, and he accused the government of being "a socialist and communist political caste". Its 209 senior officials and advisors cost almost fifteen million euros a year.

Armengol defended an allowance that has been in force in the Balearics for twenty years and which makes it possible for citizens who reside in Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera to work for the government "under the same conditions as those who reside in Mallorca". She suggested that Campos was pursuing a "demagogic" debate and was not contributing anything to the current situation in the Balearics.