Mireia Juanola: "Article 155 repression is illegal and immoral..."

Here is my English version of
http://www.elpuntavui.cat/politica/article/-/1324805-la-repressio-del-155-es-il-legal-i-immoral-nomes-preten-xafar-nos.html

Mireia Juanola, psychotherapist and Chair of Omnium Cultural's Delegation in the Baix Penedès district.

"Article 155 repression is illegal and immoral and only aims to crush us"

Mireia Juanola is a specialist in neuropsychology and author of the book "Un nou país. Una nova política" ('A new country. A new policy '), and is an untiring activist who keeps a close watch on the [independence] process and is involved in it optimistically.
 Josep M. Flores / Taempus - El Vendrell 

What do you think of the current political situation?

I am optimistic by nature and the roadmap to be followed has always been clear in my mind. We are facing a conflict between two states, Catalonia and Spain, and now we are simply on another level of the situation, where the media war has become prevalent. But since I believe in Catalonia and the creative and innovative capacity of its people, I'm sure we'll find the way to succeed. We are a resilient society and the will of more than two million people cannot simply peter out. Spain has remained stuck in the 20th century and sooner or later it will realize that the only way forward is through dialogue, and that's why it'll have to accept that Catalonia has the right as a people to decide its future.

Do you see Mr. Puigdemont as President, even if it is from Brussels?

Of course! Puigdemont is the only option - with nuances, to be sure - to restore the institutions that were grabbed from us through Article 155. Article 155 has put us in a scenario similar to that instituted at the end of the Civil War, that is, until forty years ago. Puigdemont is the person who represents the institution and if we were to accept another president we would back going back to square one.

But a sector inside ERC [1] calls for realism and supports the appointment of a president other than Puigdemont, if appointing him means stretching out Article 155 [direct rule].

The 21 December elections were a trap laid by Spain, but we were forced to take part and play on their terms to show that we aren't afraid of ballot boxes. And we won them. I don't attach much importance to how we'll appoint Puigdemont as President, even if Puigdemont were to have to delegate the executive presidency to another person who is present here in order to be more effective; the important thing is to restore the President who was dismissed through Article 155. And this is as realistic as what ERC says. We can't stop pedaling to broaden the social base in favour of independence.

And how can it be broadened?

By respecting each other and by making ourselves understood. We have to accept that ours is a diverse society and that the key is to share many of the things we have in common. We can't take for granted any superiority as regards the other. Both Catalans and immigrants who came from other parts of Spain are victims of the Franco regime; we built the country that we have today together, and we have to continue building it together. The "social fracture" that concerns the Ciudadanos party [2] so much is pure deceit, it does not exist. There are discrepancies and these discrepancies are good, but in no case do they generate any problem of coexistence as Sra. Arrimadas[3] would have us believe.

Yes, but with this discourse they managed to get more support and become the most voted party...

Yes, they won the vote of people who have never voted before, and who have swallowed these lies. The best thing about this is that people have become aware that one has to go and vote. Time will put Ciudadanos in their place, I am sure.

What role do you think the ANC and Òmnium should play now?

They have to continue representing ordinary people. We are the space that channels the aspirations of ordinary people and we have to carry on being that. We are the collective unconscious that gathers the concerns of the people, but now we have to respect political tempos. The screen we are in is changing and now we have to build the country we want, call it a republic or whatever you like.

Is being a republic not good enough for you?

It sounds like an old-fashioned term. We are in a creative process to change things, paradigms. This process of transformation also forces us to innovate and for me, rather than "republic", I like the term "democracy", because it contains the humanistic values ​​that we need for us to progress in order to build a healthy and happy society from all points of view.

Isn't it naive to think this way?

I've already said I'm optimistic, and no, it isn't naive to aspire to have a society where people live with dignity. It is our duty. Humans were not made to fight and argue among themselves.

Did you like the speech by the new Speaker of the Parliament, that some have criticized as being watered-down?

In my view the Speaker of Parliament is an institutional figure and as such he represents the whole chamber. If we want to build a more modern and more humane country, everyone has the right to feel reflected.

But with Article 155 in place, it'll be hard for us to get back on our feet.

Article 155 repression is illegal and immoral and only aims to crush and frighten us. That is why we have to restore our institutions and build - this time, for real - the country that we want, integrating all political sensitivities. After all, the Catalan people's claim is entirely legitimate.

[1] = ERC is the Republican Left of Catalonia, a separatist party founded in 1931, just weeks before the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed.
[2] = Ciudadanos is a party founded in Catalonia in order to curtail what it saw as "Nationalist" policies in Catalonia, particularly as regards the use and promotion of the Catalan language. In the last elections (December 2017) it won over most of the pro-Spanish conservative votes from the Partido Popular.
[3] = Sra. Arrimadas is, since the September 2015 elections, head of the opposition in the Catalan Parliament. She was born in Andalusia and is firmly opposed both to independence and to the Catalan people's right to decide on the issue.