The head of the Executive presides over the presentation of the second volume of the book ’40 years of autonomy in the Region of Murcia (1982-2022)’
MURCIA, 4 (EUROPA PRESS)
The head of the regional Executive, Fernando López Miras, presided over the presentation of the second volume of the book ’40 years of autonomy in the Region of Murcia (1982-2022)’ this Wednesday, coinciding with the imminent celebration of the Region’s Day on June 9th.
During the event, López Miras highlighted that the creation of the autonomous community four decades ago «gave us a voice, gave us our own weight, and allowed us to start building our own future,» according to sources from the Murcian Executive in a statement.
This second volume has focused on institutions, politics, and the regional government, and has been edited by the University of Murcia through its Chair of Public Policies. Additionally, it includes contributions from various experts in the autonomous development of the Region.
In his speech, López Miras emphasized that having its own institutions has allowed the region to develop policies adapted to the real needs of citizens, and pointed out that today the Region «has a public health system that we manage from here, its own educational system, and an administration that has been modernizing and adapting to the new demands of society.»
«For a long time, this land did not have its own voice or resources. It could not make important decisions about its development or defend its interests with strength, and autonomy was a turning point,» said López Miras, who was accompanied by the President of the Legal Council of the Region of Murcia, Antonio Gómez Fayrén, and by the professor of the Chair of Public Policies, María Quiles.
Thus, the Statute approved in 1982 «not only helped us to better serve our people, but also allowed us to build our own identity. Because our autonomous community is not just an administrative structure: it is also a reflection of a shared history, and of a uniqueness that deserves to be recognized and protected,» added the highest regional authority.
The book «is the story of how we have grown up as an autonomous community,» highlighted López Miras, and in its pages, it delves deeply into aspects such as the electoral system, the role of the Executive and the Legislative, the transfer of competences, local administration, or the debate on the reform of the Statute.
Regarding the current political scenario, López Miras called for a return to the spirit with which the Autonomy Statute was born, based on «agreement and understanding among different parties,» and warned that «institutions should be spaces of encounter, not of permanent confrontation.»
Finally, the president appealed to continue working «with respect» to consolidate a true autonomous culture, especially among the new generations, and assured that «without strong institutions, there is no possible future.»
«PEOPLE MUST KNOW THE STATUTE»
Quiles, for her part, expressed her gratitude to the regional Executive and López Miras, who «not only supported through the Government the funding and all the actions we take from the Chair, but also wrote the prologue of the book.»
This is the second volume to commemorate the anniversary of the Autonomy Statute of the Region of Murcia, which «complements» the first one presented a few months ago and provides a «general overview» of the institutions of the three powers that make up autonomy.
It also addresses how the process towards autonomy in the Region has developed and, above all, told «by people who have actively participated in the process.»
Thus, she considered that the book had to be «practical» and, in fact, it will be available in an online format for the first time «because when we did the first one, we realized that many people told us that it was used, even for preparing exams.»
It is a project that started with an «academic and informative» character, but its authors realized that it was very practical because very little had been written about the transition process towards autonomy in the Region of Murcia.
She emphasized that the Chair maintains a continuous training activity, with academic activities and reports that she hopes «will always be useful for the Region of Murcia.»
The authors have also drawn conclusions about the evolution of how the Murcian electorate behaves and the specific regional characteristics. «Another important thing is that we analyze how the statute was born and we also present keys to possible reform needs to be put on the table,» she pointed out.
«We, as political scientists and as academics, make what we have studied available to public authorities for them to analyze and consider if that work can be useful,» Quiles stated.
When asked about the improvements that could be incorporated into the Autonomy Statute, Quiles considered that, in principle, «many governance issues, participation, and strengthening of institutions should be addressed.»
«Ultimately, strengthening institutions and knowing them is strengthening democracy,» according to this professor from the Chair of Public Policies, who considered it «very important» that people «know our Statute» because «it seems like a very distant thing but it has been governing us for over 40 years.»
Therefore, she emphasized the «need» for people to «get involved in politics, especially unfortunately with the little good press it has been receiving lately.»
When asked about Quiles’ statements, López Miras considered that «what we all must do is move forward» and acknowledged that «everything can be improved.» «Of course, I look with longing at the political situation 43 years ago, and it seems that in that context we have regressed more than evolved,» he added.
In fact, he said he looks «with a healthy envy» at the ability of those politicians to «have a dialogue, to sit down, to reach a consensus when the general interest prevailed.» «And now, unfortunately, what I see is that some political parties are much more conditioned by national inertia and by the directives of their national party than by the interests of the Region of Murcia,» he noted.