MADRID: Spain said Thursday it will press ahead with suspending Catalonia’s autonomy after the region’s leader warned he may declare independence, heralding an unprecedented escalation of the country’s worst political crisis in decades.
The central government in Madrid had given separatist leader Carles Puigdemont until 10:00 am (0800 GMT) on Thursday to say whether or not he was declaring a breakaway state in the semi-autonomous region following a chaotic referendum on October 1.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy had warned he would trigger Article 155 of Spain’s constitution — a never-before-used measure allowing it to impose direct rule over the wealthy northeastern region — unless Puigdemont backed down.
There are fears that such a move, allowing the government to potentially suspend Puigdemont’s government and take over its police force, could spark unrest in a region where even Catalans who oppose independence cherish their autonomy highly.
Puigdemont responded Thursday that Catalan lawmakers could vote to declare secession unilaterally if Madrid triggers Article 155.
“If the central government persists in preventing dialogue and continuing repression, Catalonia’s parliament could proceed... to vote for a formal declaration of independence,” he wrote in a letter to Rajoy, adding that a cryptic “suspended” independence declaration he issued last week did not amount to breaking away.
The government hit back by saying it intends to push on with triggering Article 155 — a process that would take several days — to “restore legality” in the region.
It called an emergency cabinet meeting for Saturday to specify how it will take control over the region.
The Catalonia crisis has worried investors and added to the woes of a European Union already grappling with Brexit.
Catalonia’s 7.5 million residents have their own language and culture but are divided on whether to break away from the rest of Spain.
Puigdemont says his regional administration has a mandate to declare independence from what he says was a 90-percent “Yes” vote on October 1, marred by a heavy-handed police crackdown on voters.
But turnout was given as only 43 percent. Many voters who oppose independence stayed away from a referendum that had been declared illegal by Spain’s Constitutional Court.
Madrid had on Wednesday offered the separatists a potential last-minute way out of the crisis by proposing fresh regional elections. A government source told AFP that would allow the region to “return to legality.”
Elections sanctioned by Madrid — unlike the referendum — would allow Catalan voters to have a say on how to move forward.
But while Puigdemont’s administration may still be weighing the proposal up, there was no mention of plans for such polls in his response Thursday.
Barcelona football club’s Camp Nou stadium displayed a massive banner emblazoned with the words “Dialogue, Respect and Sport” on Wednesday night.
It was reopening for its first match since playing to empty seats in protest at the violence against voters, some of whom were dragged by their hair and thrown down stairs by police.
Catalans have grown increasingly frustrated with politicians’ failure to find a way out of the deadlock. The prolonged uncertainty is taking a toll on one of Spain’s most important regional economies.
More than 800 companies have moved their headquarters out of Catalonia, citing the risk of instability. The national government has cut its growth forecast for next year to 2.3 percent, blaming the current crisis.
Separatists complain that Catalonia, which represents about a fifth of Spain’s economic output, pours more into the national coffers than it gets back, and say it would prosper if it went its own way.
But opponents say the region has more clout as part of Spain and that the instability could be disastrous for its economy.
Spain to push ahead with suspending Catalan autonomy
Spain to push ahead with suspending Catalan autonomy
Left homeless by blaze, Muslims in southernmost Philippines observe Ramadan as month of trial
- Thousands lost their homes when parts of Bongao in Tawi-Tawi were burnt to ashes
- Many trying to fully observe the fasting month say they are grateful to be alive
Manila: As Annalexis Abdulla Dabbang was looking forward to observing the month of Ramadan with her family, just days before it began they lost everything when an enormous fire tore through whole neighborhoods of their city in the southernmost province of the Philippines.
Bongao is the capital of Tawi-Tawi, an island province, forming part of the country’s Muslim minority heartland in the Bangsamoro region. The city experienced its worst fire in years in early February, when flames swept through the coastal community, leaving more than 5,000 people homeless.
“We were swimming for our lives. We had to swim to escape from the fire ... We swam in darkness, and (even) the sea was already hot because of the fire,” Dabbang, a 27-year-old teacher, told Arab News.
“Everything we owned was gone in just a few hours — our home, our memories, the things we worked hard for, everything turned to ashes.”
Trying to save their 2-year-old daughter and themselves, she and her husband left everything behind — as did hundreds of other families that together with them have since taken shelter at the Mindanao State University gymnasium — one of the evacuation centers.
Unable to secure a tent, Dabbang’s family has been sleeping on the bleachers, sharing a single mat as their bed. When Ramadan arrived a few days after they moved to the makeshift shelter, they welcomed it in a different, more solemn way. There is no family privacy for suhoor, no room or means to welcome guests for iftar.
“Ramadan feels different now. It’s painful but at the same time more real. When we lost our home, we began to understand what sacrifice really means. When you sleep in an evacuation center, you understand hunger, discomfort in a deeper way,” Dabbang said.
“We don’t prepare special dishes. We prepare our hearts.”
While she and thousands of others have lost everything they have ever owned, she has not lost her faith.
“Our dreams may have turned to ashes, but our prayers are still alive,” she said.
“This Ramadan my prayers are more emotional than ever. I pray for strength, not just for myself, but for my family and for every neighbor who also lost their family home. I pray for healing from the trauma of fire. I pray that Allah will replace what we lost with something better. I pray for the chance to rebuild not just our house, but our sense of security.”
Juraij Dayan Hussin, a volunteer helping the Bongao fire victims, observed that many of them were traumatized and the need to cleanse the heart and mind during Ramadan was what kept many of them going, because they are “thankful that even though they lost their property, they are still alive.”
But the religious observance related to the fasting month is not easy in a cramped shelter.
“It’s hard for Muslims to perform their prayers when they do not have their proper attire because they usually have specific clothes for prayer,” he said. “Sanitation in the area is also an issue ... when you fast and when you pray, cleanliness is essential.”
For Abdulkail Jani, who is staying at a basketball court with his brother and more than 70 other families, this Ramadan will be spent apart from their parents, whom they managed to move to relatives.
“The month of Ramadan this year is a month of trial ... there will be a huge change from how we observed Ramadan in the past, but we will adjust to it and try to comfort ourselves and our family. The most important thing is that we can perform the fasting,” he told Arab News.
“Despite our situation now, despite everything, as long as we’re alive, we will observe Ramadan. We’ll try to observe it well, without missing anything.”
