The MÉS Group for Mallorca in the Council Calls for Transparency
The MÉS for Mallorca group has submitted a request to the Council for all the documentation associated with the trip of the president of the island institution to the Vatican. This request includes the list of people who have traveled at the expense of the Council and the economic cost of this travel. According to the spokesman for MÉS, Jaume Alzamora, the images distributed by the Council’s communication office indicate that around fifteen people would have traveled at the expense of the public budget, apart from the people invited by the Diocese or other institutions (https: //www.softcatala.org/resum-de-textos-en-catala/).
Excessive Delegation and Disproportionate Spending
Alzamora has expressed his concern regarding the insular delegation, noting that it includes the president, councillors, insular directors, council technicians and several advisers and trusted staff of the government team. Although the appropriateness of the trip is not disputed, the delegation is considered to have been excessive and grossly disproportionate. In addition, it has been highlighted that the cost of this trip contrasts with the agenda disclosed by the Council’s press office itself. Alzamora noted that the trip included an audience with Pope Francis, which lasted only a few minutes and was held in the middle of St. Peter’s Square. In addition, a conference was held attended only by members of the expedition. Apart from this, the agenda included a series of private visits that were not related to institutional representation. According to Alzamora, this three-day trip can be considered religious tourism financed with public money (https://www.softcatala.org/resum-de-textos-en-catala/).
Transparency Request
In addition to the request for the number of people and the financial cost, MÉS has requested a detailed agenda for this trip. This request is in addition to other previous requests from the group. Alzamora recalled that the government team gradually publishes the ratio of expenses for diets and trips generated by the members of the island government team. This situation has drawn attention especially after the president’s recent trips to different European cities in charge of the public treasury. According to Alzamora, the detailed publication of expenses could avoid suspicions and he emphasized that the lack of transparency is the anteroom of corruption. In this sense, he stressed the importance of the transparency of the activity of public administrations being exemplary so that citizens know how their taxes are managed (https://www.softcatala.org/resum-de-textos-en- Catalan/).