Alex Trelinski
A LEADING figure in the far-left Podemos political party has demanded the resignation of Valencian president, Carlos Mazon, for his handling of the flood disaster.
Podemos secretary Pablo Fernandez says Mazon should also be tried for his ‘calamitous’ management of the DANA and that the Prime Minister should decree a ‘state of alarm’ for the Valencia area- meaning that Madrid would take control away from the Valencian leader.
Speaking on Monday, Pablo Fernandez, said: “This is a real criminal scandal which should not go unpunished when alerts were not issued until 8pm last Tuesday, as water was destroying everything and fatalities could be counted in the dozens.”
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Fernandez did not rule out Podemos filing a complaint against Mazon, who he described as ‘totally incompetent’ and accused him of prioritising the economy ‘over the well-being and life of the people’.
The Partido Popular’s Carlos Mazon on Monday said that he asked for the Emergency Military Unit to be activated and demanded ‘all possible help’ last Tuesday at 3.21pm- well before flooding started.
Mazon told Cope Radio that once help is requested, it is down to the military operational commanders who decide on numbers sent and is not ‘down to politicians’.
The president pointed out that Ministry of Ecological Transition, deactivated flood alerts three times six days ago and said that alert messages were sent to phones 30 minutes after flood warning details had been sent to him.
Mazon stressed it is is one thing for it to rain and another for floods and massive displacements of water to occur through rivers, riverbeds and ravines.
He insisted that ‘from the beginning’ he asked for ‘the highest level of deployment necessary’ of aid.
The Valencian far-left party Compromis has called on the regional parliament, Les Corts, to set up a commission of inquiry into the ‘chaotic’ management of the Dana catastrophe.
Compromis parliamentary spokesperson, Joan Baldovi, said Mazon should resign due to his ‘absolute ineptitude’.
“He was more concerned with saving his job than helping people,” Baldovi commented.
“He did not raise the alarm when it was necessary, he has not asked for all the resources he could have asked for, he has prevented units from other regions or even other countries from coming and being able to join from day one to find victims or in helping people who have lost everything,” he said.
