On politics, secrecy and transparency

The World Today published an article by Henry Gimbernat, Professor of Criminal Law at the UCM , which defends the publication of the now famous photo of Rubalcaba mobile phone displaying a text message, Alberto Cuellar made ​​by the Congress of Deputies .

The publication of the photograph on the cover of El Mundo on Wednesday December 21 led to the president of Congress, Jesus Posada, instruct the Legal Services of the House a report on the collision between the rights to information and privacy , culminating with an instruction from the Speaker of the House, adopted with the unanimous opinion of the Bureau, which announced the possible withdrawal of accreditation for one year press photographers, performing work, violate the "fundamental rights" of deputies , as might happen with the release of the documents they handle in their seats or received messages on their mobiles.

In addition to the apparently clear legal rulings against this, I think the debate should serve to make a reflection on transparency in the political life of our country. Spain is, to date, the only country in Europe with over one million people who do not have a law on transparency and access to public information . You can see arguments about this page, YA Transparency Act , or sign a petition for approval urgent actionable . But above all, we not only ask for a transparency law ... we will make matters much, much further. We must force introduce a culture of radical transparency in political life.

Contrary to what happens in most civilized countries, in Spain seems that politicians claim that things are done always in the utmost secrecy. Locked in a room, and "cook" the policy as they see fit. Media that "disturb" their photos or their impertinent inquiries will be accepted. Citizens seeking to influence their decision triggers a reaction that qualifies in the daily record as " external factors that degrades the image and work of the House . " In a country like ours, where corruption scandals popping up every day , lack of transparency in political life is almost insulting.

Sure enough, there are policy decisions in life for which secrecy is necessary. For this there is an official secrets act , which regulates the organs of the State shall be subject in its activity at the beginning of advertising, according to the rules governing its proceedings, except where the nature of the matter is this declared specifically classified. But why the agenda of a Council of Ministers or the deliberations taking place in it must be secret? ¿ Why ministers vow or promise expressly "preserve the secrecy of the deliberations of the Council of Ministers ? How can we understand that a judge, pursuant to the requirements of an investigation, can not claim, for example, the minutes of the Board of Andalusia ? Why citizens must accept that their representatives deliberate in secret theoretical issues that clearly affect them? Is all you really ask my representatives, who are there with MY vote and spending my tax money, tell me what you are spending?

After a lot of resistance, recently we are aware of the income and assets of public officials . It cost a lot, but not at all sufficient. The citizens demand to know what politicians spend their time, who they meet, what they talk about, what information do you request, based on what is influencing their decisions, which promise to change who and what. The Spanish public life is anything but public, and now they come from Congress and the president seeks to expel for one year the photographer to take a picture of a mobile phone or a document left on a seat in an obvious attempt to provoke self-censorship. Awesome.

No, things can not and should be. A representative of the people should, by law, complete and thoroughly transparent, answer any questions that you do, and not hide behind "privacy" or "secret" to steal information to citizens. In this country are doing very poorly in this regard for a long time, and now it seems that, relying on a supposed absolute majority and with the excuse of "we must govern," you want to make matters worse, less transparency, more secret, less explanation, and all faced "not bother me, I'm saving the country." ¿Intimacy? Sorry, as a representative of the citizens, will have to give anything other than the purest and strict personal level. Who meets and speaks what is not part of their privacy if you're doing as a representative of the citizens. And if this requires changing the constitution, will be the earliest thing to work. To see who it is that opposes and, above all, what reasons given for it.

In a poignant scene of institutionalized corruption, yet we intend to dedicate to put more barriers to information. No, thanks, and we saw the "secret policy" amounts to "dirty politics" and not want more. We are talking about information that should be immediately and transparently offered from the institutions themselves, and that not only we, but is intended to limit even further. Politicians who cheat their people miserably concealing external influences that determine the adoption of laws , for citizens as if it were not relevant. If a politician wants to play James Bond and feel important because things are "for your eyes only", dedicated to something else, please. In the XXI century with an abundance of technology to know where you are and what you are doing at the moment, citizens, increasingly, demand radical transparency.