11.10.2014 - 17:21
Some of the most international Catalan figures have signed an article in English entitled ‘Give Catalonia its freedom to vote‘, which was published in the British newspaper The Independent. Coach Pep Guardiola, singer Josep Carreras, economists Xavier Sala i Martín and Pol Antràs, Dr. Joan Massagué and musician Jordi Savall are the article’s authors. They call for world recognition of Catalans right to decide. The article explains the historical reasons why Catalonia is part of Spain and explains the current situation.
The article compares the Catalan and Scottish cases: ‘Unlike Scotland, which willingly joined the United Kingdom and was allowed to vote on whether they wanted to leave with the full agreement of London, Catalonia was conquered and lost itsliberty. Now, after centuries of trying to find the right fit for Catalonia inside Spain, we Catalans want to vote on our political future, as the Scots just did.’
We Catalans, along with our democratic government and institutions, want to vote so we can decide what kind of relationship we want to establish with Spain for the future. We have therefore set a day for our vote – 9 November 2014. It is not a question of secession or independence: it is a question of dignity and democracy. We Catalans want to have a say in our future, and will respect the will of the majority whatever the result, just as happened in Scotland.
The article ends with a clear claim:
‘The Spanish government argues that this vote is illegal and unconstitutional. The Catalan government and neutral legal experts believe that the vote is both legal andlegitimate. We have been calling for talks and negotiations with Madrid for years, but rather than talking Madrid prefers heavy-handed scare tactics and hides behind legal excuses rather than allowing a free and fair vote that the Catalan people are calling for. Constitutions are meant to be living documents, that adapt laws to the needs of the citizens via amendments. Unfortunately, the Spanish government has said it would block any amendments that would make our vote possible.
We Catalans wonder why Spain wants to prevent people from voting in a peaceful and transparent way. How could it be otherwise in a 21st century European democracy? Political issues are resolved through dialogue and negotiation in modern times. The era when a privileged few decided on behalf of the rest has ended. That is why we, a group of concerned Catalan citizens committed to democracy, decided to write this article to let the world know that Catalans just want to vote. Who can be afraid of democracy?’.
