The likelihood of a new round of pre-election party political rhetoric looks exceedingly high after an announcement by the manager of the Nerja Caves Foundation, Ángel Ramírez, that he intends to hold an ‘open day’ at the Nerja History Museum this coming Friday.
Work to equip the museum is almost finished, despite many trials and tribulations, just a few minor tweaks needed here and there according to Ramirez.
This inauguration, though, will be little more than a formality as the museum will close again the following day. According to Ángel Ramírez, this is because the opening licence still has not been issued, despite having been requested more than a year ago.
The museum has been financed and built by the Nerja Caves Foundation, a dependency of the Central Government, and is controlled by the PSOE. The manager of the Nerja Caves Foundation, Ángel Ramírez, is also the PSOE leader and mayoral candidate in Nerja.
Despite countless delays, party political bickering, legal challenges, tit-for-tat reprisals and toys being hurled from prams at regular intervals, it has been completed in five years, unlike some other projects – sewage plant, health centre, fire station….
In response to the announcement of the ‘open day’, the Mayor of Nerja, José Alberto Armijo, is reported as saying that the lack of an opening licence is not actually an obstacle to the opening of the museum, as many establishments open without one. It is more a question, the Mayor says, of the fact that no staff have been hired and that the works have not been certified as 100% complete.
The Mayor, who is vice-president of the Nerja Caves Foundation, said it was ‘absurd’ that Ramirez has announced that the museum will open on Friday and close again on Saturday, adding that he has so far not received an invitation to the event.