Pere Joan Pons claims dialogue with “opposing” positions upon assuming the Delegation of the Spanish government

PalmaPere Joan Pons has claimed dialogue as a tool to guarantee coexistence, even with people who hold “diametrically opposed” positions, during the inauguration ceremony as the new delegate of the Spanish government in the Balearic Islands. Pons has defended that understanding each other does not imply thinking the same, but listening, accepting differences, and finding common ground. “Coexistence is not improvised, it is built from respect, the word, and the will for understanding,” he stated.

The event took place this Tuesday afternoon at the headquarters of the Government Delegation, in the center of Palma, with the presence of his predecessor, Alfonso Rodríguez, as well as other political representatives and state security forces and bodies. Pons took the oath of office before the Constitution before delivering his first institutional speech.

The new delegate explained that he assumes this responsibility at a moment he would not have imagined. He recalled that in November 2022 he was in the United States as an observer of the midterm elections and that now, almost four years later and coinciding with a new American electoral call, he begins a new political stage in the Islands.

“Life and politics have the capacity to put us in front of new challenges, which we do not always seek, but which, when they arrive, we must assume with responsibility, commitment, and enthusiasm,” he said. He also expressed the satisfaction it gives him to be able to serve his land, which he defined as four islands “more open to the world than ever, but also more conscious of their fragility”.

An internal federalism for the four islands

Pons has placed his appointment in a context of great technological, social, and geopolitical transformations. In this sense, he referred to the opportunities and questions raised by artificial intelligence and argued that, in the face of this acceleration, the vocation for public service should never change.

He also championed the uniqueness of the Archipelago and the need to continue building a shared community from the diversity of each island. “We are universal islands with a unique idiosyncrasy. Four diverse islands, each with its own personality and at the same time a shared identity,” he pointed out.

For this reason, he defended a model of “internal federalism” that allows for strengthening the joint work between the administrations of the four islands.

The new delegate also recalled the family influence on his career. He had words for his mother, who left her native Huesca to study and dedicate herself to teaching in Mallorca, and for his father, who participated in the drafting of the Statute of Autonomy and taught him that politics is essential for social transformation.

Warning about disinformation and confrontation

In the final part of the speech, Pons thanked the work of the State security forces and bodies and the collaboration that those responsible have offered him during his first days at the head of the Delegation. He acknowledged that this arrival coincided with "circumstances of uncertainty," without specifying which events he was referring to, and he claimed security as a tool to guarantee peaceful coexistence.

“Security is not an end in itself, it is an essential condition for people to be able to live in freedom, exercise their rights and coexist in peace,” he stated. He also warned that threats to coexistence are not manifested only in the street, but also in digital spaces, through disinformation, manipulation and deliberate confrontation.

At this point, he cited the writer Giuliano da Empoli and his idea of the “engineering of chaos” to warn about the use of mistrust and division as instruments to put coexistence at risk. Pons defended the need to “disarm language,” renounce verbal violence, prejudices and ideological manipulation, as well as learning to combat disinformation.

Pons was appointed government delegate to the Balearic Islands by the Council of Ministers last Tuesday. His first days in office have coincided with the protests called in Palma by the Menys Turismo network, which took place without notable incidents.