Seven associations have asked the Balearic Government this Monday to eliminate the nominative and project-based subsidies destined to entities that defend the Catalan language, such as the Obra Cultural Balear (OCB) and the Plataforma per la Llengua, or to redistribute them to associations that promote bilingualism in education and administration. During a press conference, these organizations denounced the current subsidy policy as “presumed corruption”, considering that “public money is used to favor an ideological line”.
Among the convening entities were PLIS. Education, please Societat Civil Baleares, Foro Baleares, Sa Fundació, Mos Movem, Escuela de Todos and Impulso Ciudadano-Baleares. All of them regretted that they do not receive any type of public subsidy, while the organizations that defend the Catalan language are considered of public interest: “We are more so because we defend the two languages”, affirmed the president of PLIS, Olga Ballester. They also criticized the fact that project subsidies are not open to proposals that promote bilingualism, describing this exclusion as unjustified. “If these associations receive hundreds of thousands of euros, with more reason should receive them those who defend bilingualism and Balearic linguistic modalities,” stressed Ballester. For this reason, the associations demand that the autonomic budgets eliminate these aids or redistribute them in an equitable manner.
Criticism of the education law and the PP
The associations also questioned the Balearic PP for its position on the education law. According to them, the amendments presented by Vox to reestablish the vehicularity of both languages in education, which were overturned by decree, were consistent with what the PP had defended before the elections. “The PP has made a turnaround in its policies, which is a betrayal of its voters,” declared Ballester, who urged the president of the Govern, Marga Prohens, to fulfill her campaign promises. “The PP’s fear of inconveniencing nationalism is being stronger than coherence with its principles.” In this sense, they asked the Executive to modify Article 135 of the education law to guarantee the vehicularity of both languages. “If Prohens promised a bilingual education, he should fulfill it,” they demanded. The associations concluded their intervention by demanding that the Govern take a step towards equality in language policy: “We want a system that respects bilingualism and does not prioritize one language over another with public resources. If they are not willing to do so, they should eliminate the subsidies directly”, they concluded.
Continue reading
