The PP rejects Vox's law to marginalize Catalan amid accusations of "treason"

PalmThe Balearic PP has kept its promise and on Tuesday rejected Vox's bill to marginalize Catalan in schools. This occurred amidst accusations of "betrayal" from its former partners, who criticized the PP for voting against "freedom." PP deputy Marga Durán defended herself, warning that the far-right's proposal went far beyond the agreement between the two parties to introduce Spanish as the language of instruction in the Education Law. "Vox presented the bill they saw fit, not the one we had agreed upon," she insisted. "They can't expect us to accept them disregarding our boundaries whenever they want."

Relations between the coalition partners, which had improved after the summer, became strained again following Vox's presentation of this initiative. The People's Party (PP) warned from the outset that the document violates inviolable red lines, such as the Minimum Standards Decree, the Education Law, and the autonomy of schools to approve their language projects. Despite pressure from Manuela Cañadas's party, the PP has remained firm in its position. "For the first time, we will be comfortable discussing language," admitted a source within the Balearic Islands government to ARA Baleares.

Despite the PP's "no" vote, Vox wanted to force the debate to highlight the Popular Party's opposition to the law. "Ask your voters if they are not in favor of allowing parents to choose to have part of the core subjects taught in Spanish," Vox's deputy spokesperson, Sergio Rodríguez, insisted. But the Popular Party was able to counter this narrative after registering its own legislative initiative in the Balearic Parliament on Monday to introduce Spanish as a language of instruction in the Education Law.

While Vox's proposal, which was rejected today, modified eleven articles of the law, the PP's only touches one: Article 135, which establishes the guiding principles of the linguistic model for schools in the Balearic Islands, to recognize that both official languages have "the status of languages of instruction." It also establishes "the dissemination of the island varieties of the Catalan language, native to the Balearic Islands, as a unifying element of our Community." This modification is based on a compromise that the PSIB supported in 2022, during the processing of the Education Law, although it was ultimately withdrawn because MÉS per Mallorca presented an amendment.

The question that arises after the PP's 'no' vote on Vox's text is whether the far right will now accept it as an alternative. The PP presented it without consulting Vox, and the party's spokesperson, Manuela Cañadas, booed the PP spokesperson, Sebastià Sagreras, minutes after learning of the text, as confirmed by parliamentary sources.

Vox: "Are they talking to us about loyalty?"

From the podium, Rodríguez did not answer this question, but he was critical of the proposal, which he considers insufficient. "This masterstroke they've presented," he said, "is a scam, a deception, and a mere show for the gallery." "School autonomy is above good and evil, above individual rights, above the most basic pedagogical principle, which is that learning in one's mother tongue is best," the deputy declared. "If we don't modify the Minimum Standards Decree and don't challenge the sacrosanct school autonomy, tell me how a parent in this region can access part of the education in Spanish," he asked. In this regard, he accused the PP of a lack of "loyalty." "What have they approved from Vox's platform? That minors can go to bullfights, and nothing more, and they talk to us about loyalty?" he denounced. Durán reiterated the Popular Party's position. "We cannot approve wording that clashes head-on with fundamental pillars of our education system, which we will never compromise," he insisted. "We are fulfilling our government program and our agreements, including those we signed with Vox," he asserted. "We have recovered the unanimous consensus that had been reached in the drafting committee and the relevant committee during the processing of the 2022 law."

The left: "Language is a bargaining chip"

The opposition expressed skepticism about the PP's move, reminding them of all the concessions they have made to Vox on language issues. These range from the choice of language in primary education to the pilot program for linguistic segregation in higher education, as well as the elimination of the Catalan language requirement in the healthcare sector. "Prohens says we won't find her involved in linguistic confrontation, but since they've been in power, Catalan has been the language of change for every proposal they've jointly approved," retorted PSIB deputy Amanda Fernández. "The PP is aghast at Vox's outrageous statements, but then, behind the scenes, they implement measures that are undermining our own language," she insisted. For MÁS per Mallorca, deputy Maria Ramon warned the PP that "it's not enough to vote against" Vox's law: "They must demonstrate that language will not be a factor in future negotiations. This is the moment to see who has principles and who is simply afraid of losing power." From Més per Menorca, Joana Gomila said that the PP's proposal to modify the Education Law is "an excuse to say they won't vote for it." Meanwhile, from Unides Podem, Jesús García emphasized the "failure" of the pilot plan promoted by the PP. "Today, gentlemen of the left, in a hypocritical and unbelievable way, want us to believe that vehicular access is an attack," Duran responded to the opposition: "This isn't coherence, it's playing politics based on headlines."