In the Canary Islands, there are problems related to eating. But there are also issues related to sleeping. There are corrupt officials who are part of the 24% of the Canarian population that consumes anxiolytics and antidepressants according to the Istac. Many of these belong to the 355,000 islanders who take tranquilizers, relaxants, and sleeping pills or the 147,000 who take antidepressants and stimulants. But there are many, many more who eat just enough and do not resort to chemicals to fall asleep. The State machinery is often perceived as a cold web of offices and bureaucracies. However, its true engine is human and, too often, silent. Today, we pay a necessary tribute to those honest employees and public officials who, far from seeking applause or personal gain, understand their work as an unwavering commitment to truth and legality. They are the invisible guardians of our democratic architecture.
History shows that courage against power knows no uniforms or hierarchies, but rather principles. In the annals of international honor, the example of U.S. Sergeant Ivan Frederick stands out, who in 2004, amidst the chaos of post-war Iraq, decided to risk his life, career, and personal safety by denouncing the systematic abuses and tortures perpetrated at the Abu Ghraib prison. That soldier not only exposed the moral degradation in a detention center; he reminded the world that due obedience ends where human dignity and law begin. His denunciation cracked the wall of official cover-up and brought light back to a pit of institutional darkness.
Our Ivan Frederick deserves all our respect and support
This same thread of integrity is what sustains the day-to-day operations of our closest institutions today, and it finds a direct reflection in recent events such as those experienced in the Port Authority of Las Palmas or the madness of bureaucracy in the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife due to seemingly dishonest pressures coming from abroad. We feel deeply proud of our civil servants and control technicians. The devastating audit report issued by the State Ports auditors regarding the management of the Foundation is the administrative equivalent of that step forward: an uncomfortable signature, backed by rigorous data and accounting discipline, which reveals losses of 138,660.30 euros in 2024 and 128,115.91 euros in 2025, challenging the political pressures of those in power.
Being an honest public servant in high-pressure economic and partisan environments – such as a major commercial port – requires a daily and quiet heroism. It means prioritizing the manual of decency and the defense of public funds over the interests of the powerful, knowing that the price of rectitude is often loneliness, veto, or media ostracism. While some succumb to the allure of the budget or to complicity in silence, the technicians and inspectors who audit, monitor, and denounce the clientelist use of public buildings and irregular funding remind us of the purpose of the State. To all of them, those who honor the inspection act in front of political rallies, we owe the stability of our society; their integrity is the shield that protects our democracy.
