There are people who don’t notice much. The former Minister of Transport, former Secretary of Organization for the Socialist Party, and now a deputy in the mixed group, José Luis Ábalos, is one of them. There is a lot he could learn from my friends and me about paying attention to the small details, especially when we finally manage to fit schedules and sit down for a meal in good company. One by one, we briskly review: that facial mark, the necklace, those eyebrows, those shoes that look like they cost a fortune, you’ve lightened those highlights, switched the glasses, and that trip will be incredibly expensive, wouldn’t you say? In a moment, any of us would buy a couple of apartments in Benidorm and a prime building plot, then tuck fifty million in the savings account without the others noticing.
But of course, we are sharp, multitasking women. Ábalos missed the alleged shenanigans of his personal assistant, Koldo García, because he lives in a world of make-believe, he told those who asked recently with a touch of hauteur. That scandal you mention is wild. It’s surprising that the person who was always at your side could be quietly profiting from a miserable business like being a mask distributor during the pandemic, and you not getting a hint at all. Still in the dark, in the fog. Not even when he received plenty of comments from members of his own party about the suspicious behaviors of his aide and shadow, which many remember as a familiar pattern from past political figures, did the former minister realize there might be corruption clinging to the soles of the shoes of the man who rides in the chauffeur-driven car. Some people have a very low level of awareness, what can you do. It’s possible that the prime minister himself is quicker to notice things that threaten his government, which is why Ábalos was dismissed at one point without much explanation. What isn’t clear is why he was brought back later, but he now faces a serious problem because his support votes were already tight, and they are even tighter today.
Political scientists say Ábalos at the very least bears “culpa in vigilando,” meaning a failure to supervise those who work under him. It isn’t that he disliked supervising others. After all, in 2019, the then minister of Transport proposed cross-checking Hacienda data related to residents of the Balearic Islands, convinced there were abuses in the management of resident discounts for air travel. In the Congress itself, where his party has influence, he spoke about avoiding perverse attitudes and hinted at changing the discount system to prevent fraud. It was truly offensive to cast doubt on an entire population used to paying substantial sums for travel, while on television another high-speed line in the peninsula and another highway funded with public money opened. It was ugly and unfair, provoking a quick reaction from party colleagues in the regional government, and Ábalos had to backtrack. All the time he thought to invest in checking the taxpayers of the islands, alleged collectors of flight subsidies, the minister devoted to other tasks more productive. He ended up studying closely his ally Koldo García, who was thriving in his shadow. Bent on arguing the point, he had a close confidant nearby who seemed ready to speak up for him.
There are those who blame Ábalos for failing to keep an eye on those who serve under him, while others argue that a quick glance at the big picture would have helped more. The bigger picture, many say, is the careful balance of governance, the perception of integrity, and the importance of public trust in the realm of national leadership. In this story, the tension between accountability and political survival remains a live issue, surfacing in whispered conversations, formal inquiries, and the everyday chatter of citizens who wonder how public funds are spent and who really benefits. The deeper message is about vigilance, transparency, and the continual demand that those in power earn the confidence of the people they serve, not just through declarations but through consistent demonstrations of responsibility and prudence. [Source attribution: political commentary and public discourse on governance, 2024–2025]