Spain and the Military
For centuries in Spain, the military has been a constant source of stability, even at times ensuring that there was no electoral fraud and equally ensuring stability. It must also not be forgotten that General Franco took over in a military coup that lasted 40 years, with the armed forces at his side to ensure stability. From that time onwards, the military, although somewhat wary of the transition to democracy, respected what was happening, and remained loyal under the terms of the new Constitution.
Now, General Juan Mena in Seville stated that the Constitution guarantees the institutional order in Spain, and that if any other articles published by any autonomy ‘touches’ it, the army would have to intervene in order to defend the Constitution. Many observers took this to mean that if the Catalan Statutes were approved, as they damage the Constitution, the Army would have to move in. Similar remarks had been made in military circles last October and these were not exactly condoned by Defence Minister Jose Bono, but at the same time not condemned either. However, these latest statements from General Mena caused an outburst. Firstly from Catalan-born Industry Minister Jose Montilla and then from General Sanz Roldan, the head of the Armed forces.
In an extraordinary about-face, General Mena was summoned to Madrid, given a twenty-minute hearing and then told he would be placed under house arrest for a week until the Cabinet decides what to do at its weekly meeting next Friday. And all he was doing was speaking well within the framework of his job and the responsibilities involved.
Should things go from bad to worse for General Mena, it will become very clear that the Socialist Government is intent on intensifying the power granted to the Catalan Audiovisual Committee and restrict freedom of speech across the nation if someone dares to raise a voice against it. In this case, General Mena was speaking up as he considered it a part of his job. Consequently, punishment is not an option.
Now, General Juan Mena in Seville stated that the Constitution guarantees the institutional order in Spain, and that if any other articles published by any autonomy ‘touches’ it, the army would have to intervene in order to defend the Constitution. Many observers took this to mean that if the Catalan Statutes were approved, as they damage the Constitution, the Army would have to move in. Similar remarks had been made in military circles last October and these were not exactly condoned by Defence Minister Jose Bono, but at the same time not condemned either. However, these latest statements from General Mena caused an outburst. Firstly from Catalan-born Industry Minister Jose Montilla and then from General Sanz Roldan, the head of the Armed forces.
In an extraordinary about-face, General Mena was summoned to Madrid, given a twenty-minute hearing and then told he would be placed under house arrest for a week until the Cabinet decides what to do at its weekly meeting next Friday. And all he was doing was speaking well within the framework of his job and the responsibilities involved.
Should things go from bad to worse for General Mena, it will become very clear that the Socialist Government is intent on intensifying the power granted to the Catalan Audiovisual Committee and restrict freedom of speech across the nation if someone dares to raise a voice against it. In this case, General Mena was speaking up as he considered it a part of his job. Consequently, punishment is not an option.
posted by Charles Kent at 10:42 PM
2 Comments:
You are wrong. Similar to all other countries of the EU, military personnel do NOT have the right to publicly express their political opinions. They obviously have the right to vote but cannot make political comments in public.
Even if the general was right and did nothing more than repeat what the Constitution states on that matter, he broke the law.
You should be more careful when blindly acusing Zapatero and his government.
Your commenter is correct. While this all took place quite some time ago, I feel it's worth picking you up on another glaring error in your article: José Montilla was born in Córdoba, not in Catalonia.
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