The general secretary of the PSOE of Tenerife, Pedro Martín, has declared his intention to stand again “to reaffirm my candidacy as insular secretary of Tenerife”, with the aim of continuing to enhance “the unity and strength of the party on the Island.” He also holds the position of president of the socialist group in the Cabildo of Tenerife, as well as being a senator for this Island. Furthermore, he reflects on the performance of the current island Government, composed of the Canarian Coalition and the Popular Party, and criticises the “halt in significant projects” from the previous term, the funding distribution model, the management of the water crisis, and “the ongoing publicity campaigns,” among other issues.
-The Federal Congress of the PSOE is scheduled for the end of November, and the 15th Congress of the PSOE of the Canary Islands will occur in the early months of 2025. Are dates being proposed for the Island Congress of the PSOE of Tenerife?
“At the moment, there is no confirmed date because we are commencing the entire congressional series, starting with the Federal one in November, which consequently paves the way for the regional Congress to follow, and then the insular ones. Nonetheless, I have put forward my candidacy to lead the list for this Federal Congress of the party, which, for the first time, is being presented under primary conditions. However, there have been no other candidates so far, and my aim is to maintain a list that is as consensual as possible. As for the Insular Congress of the PSOE, I will be running to reaffirm my candidacy as insular secretary of Tenerife.”
-What motivates you to run again?
“What has consistently motivated me is the desire not to utilise the role of the insular general secretary for personal gain, which I have never done. My goal has always been to ensure that the party remains as united as possible. I am pleased to report that, for many years, even decades, the party reached the end of its terms with a manager, whereas general secretaries frequently served only one or two years. Fortunately, I can now conclude my four-year term because I have focused on what truly matters to me: the unity of the party on the Island. We have a robust organisation and impressive electoral results, and our past difficulties stemmed from internal divisions. Thankfully, we have largely overcome this challenge.”
-Do you anticipate achieving the same level of support as in 2022? Are any other candidacies anticipated?
“If another candidacy emerges, it would be welcomed if it serves to enhance the internal dialogue within the party. It’s not something to be troubled by. Regardless, I intend to run with the goal of securing as much support as possible and prioritising the party above all else, for this is not a contest to satisfy anyone’s ego—certainly not mine—but rather to continue strengthening the party on the Island.”
-What is your assessment of the actions taken by the Canary Islands Government (CC-PP) in the migration crisis? Do you believe an agreement can be reached between the Canary Islands and the national governments? Particularly after Manuel Domínguez (PP) expressed he was “not very optimistic”…
“Manuel Domínguez’s remarks are profoundly disheartening to me. Ángel Víctor Torres spent over eight months negotiating an agreement with the Government of the Canary Islands—essentially with the PP and CC. Yet, when the PP had the chance in Congress to challenge a Government vote, they chose to undermine Pedro Sánchez instead of addressing a humanitarian issue—the inability of the Canary Islands Government to cope with a significant influx of migrant minors. The Spanish Government, under Ángel Víctor Torres, who is particularly knowledgeable about the migration situation, has facilitated the transfer of legal-age migrants to the Peninsula or their repatriation. In terms of minors—which is a responsibility of the Autonomous Community—there was a commitment to transfer them to the Peninsula, but that required the support of the Popular Party. I find it extremely regrettable how the PP has overlooked this humanitarian crisis for the Canary Islands, and how the Canarian Coalition has opted for an easier route by blaming the Government of Spain in order not to disrupt its partnership in the autonomous Government and other institutions.”
-Recently in the Senate, you have garnered support to extend the hours of merchandise inspections at the port…
“I am continuing to promote an initiative I have worked on since my time as president of the Council, which involves expanding and making the control hours at the port of Santa Cruz more flexible for incoming goods. Additionally, I have succeeded in having another initiative approved regarding child and youth suicide. Perhaps one of the most interesting but lesser-known opportunities provided by the Senate is the chance to conduct meetings with various groups.”
-As president of the main opposition group in the Cabildo, how do you evaluate the current term of the CC-PP insular Government?
“We aim to be a constructive opposition and, in fact, we support many initiatives proposed by the Cabildo Government. However, I have concerns regarding several matters. Firstly, we attempted to establish a model for distributing funds across various plans that would be in line with Fecam’s guidelines. Now, this no longer occurs; we are not relying on the whole of the mayors but rather on the specific criteria that the Government deems appropriate. Secondly, there are significant projects that have been halted, including two initiatives aimed at alleviating traffic congestion on the North and South motorways, which have been stalled for over a year. These projects had undergone environmental evaluation and secured financing, yet we now have a Government Councillor who shows no interest in the island’s road issues, and a president who fails to compel the Government to prioritise them. I am also worried about the loss of €13 million for a BUS-HOV lane project, originally a CC proposal, which we had promoted through European Next Generation funds and has since not been initiated. Ultimately, the defining feature of this Council is a president who is active on social media throughout the day, engaged in a constant publicity campaign. One particularly notable example is the ten visits she has made to the Padre Anchieta roundabout, a project in which she played no role since it was initiated by Carlos Alonso and put out to tender during our last mandate. This serves as a good illustration of how advertising is being exploited to divert attention from the failure to fulfil a promise that would supposedly resolve traffic jams within 90 days. Moreover, she has no issue selling her management using misleading statistics. The president has repeatedly stated in various media that Tenerife creates nine out of ten jobs in the Canary Islands. Does anyone genuinely believe that we are responsible for creating nine jobs while the rest of the islands together only generate one?”
-And what is your assessment of the water emergency management?
“This serves as yet another example of a Council that prioritises publicity and announcements over tangible solutions. The island Government declared a water emergency for Tenerife at the end of the previous spring. However, it took them four months to officially acknowledge it and take action. We believe that declaring a water emergency should have been secondary to announcing immediate actions and works required to address the emergency in Tenerife.
in order to facilitate the prompt awarding of funds to enhance the water supply situation in rural areas. The Cabildo proclaimed a water emergency, we endorsed it and put forward numerous initiatives, but the reality is that after previously announcing that 95% of the projects were in progress, very few have been finalised to date. I am hopeful that the large purification centres we initiated in the previous term will soon commence operations, enabling the supply of purified water to the island’s countryside.
-What is your perspective on the recent announcement of the Islenior programme and the criticism regarding the discontinuation of Ansina in the last term?
“We are pleased to see that gatherings for the elderly are returning to the Fairgrounds for celebrations. This is familiar territory, we have witnessed it with the CC and now the PP. Nonetheless, we are dedicated to adopting a different approach to address the various issues confronting the elderly population. One initiative is to promote a programme focusing on social and health centres, as well as establishing coexistence centres—spaces for seniors who remain quite independent, where we can enhance their quality of life. Indeed, we launched our first pilot project in La Orotava. Moreover, we needed to undertake substantial efforts to engage with the many individuals living alone, and we have recognised the absence of a programme to assist them. During the last term, we articulated that hosting parties or organising courses for the elderly is commendable, yet they are tasks manageable by local councils; in fact, we proposed allocating funding for this purpose. However, our approach must extend far beyond that. Hence, we proposed the initiatives I have mentioned, along with specialised home assistance services provided by the Cabildo, where professionals like psychologists or physiotherapists could offer their support. This model resonates far better with citizens’ needs—it’s closer to them and less about mere publicity.”
-Recently, there has also been discussion regarding the potential elimination of free public transport by the state government, and the Cabildo has insisted on its continuation for all. What is the stance of PSOE in Tenerife?
“CC has accustomed us to creating a commotion before anyone has even voiced an opinion, in fact, they claimed to have received a communication and I am unaware of any official announcement from the Government concerning the withdrawal of free services. CC tends to make a fuss only to later take credit for resolutions that prove untrue. The introduction of free transport was time-sensitive, a response to the COVID crisis, and particularly the surge in prices, which compelled the Government to implement measures like these to alleviate the impact of transport inflation on the citizens. These initiatives are temporary; if there are concerns, the solution is to meet and negotiate. We are approaching the 2025 budgets, which presents an excellent opportunity to discuss this matter. I would encourage CC to seek solutions instead of creating new problems.”
-What is your evaluation of the recent developments concerning CD Tenerife?
“I believe CD Tenerife belongs to everyone; during my time as president of the Cabildo, I never attempted to exploit the Sports Club’s identity for votes or favours. I am worried about the current president’s incessant focus on CD Tenerife, and the accusations she levels against me regarding personal interests strike me as rather trivial. It is clear that Mr. Garrido does not have a future with Tenerife, which is why I suggested that the Cabildo acquire the shares. The president has declined this proposal, which is acceptable, but what I now ask of her is to provide a solution because if she is genuinely eager to assist the team in overcoming its crisis, apart from frequently appearing in the media and denouncing me, a member of the opposition who cannot make decisions as I am not a shareholder, the real question is what the Council intends to do to resolve this issue? Ultimately, the president seems to be attempting to divert attention away from what she is reluctant to address: her promise that by 2025, we would have a fully renovated Heliodoro stadium, and after over a year in office, we have observed no progress. Additionally, the president mentioned a Tenerife Arena, for which there is neither a project, land, nor funding. “A lot of promotion with very little substance.”
