Break the deadlock, vote for progress

By Marlene Hassan Nahon

We find ourselves at the end of yet another electoral cycle, one that has seen the GSLP/Libs alliance show its true colours - A party with authoritarian tendencies, with little respect for the codes of integrity that should guide all political action; a party that constantly tries to repress our democratic right to criticise and dissent; a party that has replaced meritocracy with “enchufes”, fairness with cronyism and truth with spin.

They could have called these elections months ago instead of paralysing Gibraltar for a month only days before a potential hard Brexit.

It would have been better for Gibraltar, but they don’t really care about the common good. They care more about their personal interests and those of their allies. They have shamelessly used Brexit to further their political agenda, because they realised many in the community were starting to see through their empty promises.

We want the people of Gibraltar to remember that the GSLP/Libs do not have the monopoly on experience. We have shown our relevance by dominating the political conversation, highlighting issues like systemic corruption and the inadequacy of our parliamentary representation. We also have the likes of Sian Jones, an enormously experienced regulatory advisor with a high profile in UK and EU institutions, together with a diverse slate of candidates with backgrounds on business, housing, education, finances and social activism etc.

I also bring my political experience as a fierce advocate for my people. The GSD’s claim to experience rings even more hollow: they are experienced, yes, particularly at being a failing and ineffective Opposition.

Judging by the polls, Fabian Picardo’s project fear has been very effective. We understand Brexit is a scary prospect, but a GSLP/Libs government with another blanket mandate should not be less terrifying, particularly if left unchecked by a GSD opposition.

As we have seen in debates throughout this campaign and beyond, the dynamic between these two parties is damaging for democracy. When they point fingers at each other, our ability to achieve real progress dies. These parties have been in Government for 31 years and have failed to tackle systemic corruption, and now they hide behind each other.

That is why we need a strong presence in Parliament of Together Gibraltar - because when we take them to task on hiding public debt or favouring their friends, they will not be able to point the finger back and say “you did it first”.

We believe the most important issue in this campaign is representation. We have nothing against lawyers, but we are against big corporate law firms having a stranglehold on power and prosperity.

We need to provide adequate representation that defends the broad and diverse interests of the community; the interests of workers, small businesses, women, and many other forgotten de-mographics.
That is why we are asking the community to set their fear aside and vote with hope.

We need a strong Together Gibraltar presence in Parliament so that issues like corruption and fair representation are given the consideration they deserve. So that the rights of our women are protected and enhanced. For the environment to be put at the top of our agenda. And for the “Punch and Judy show” to make way for real, constructive politics once and for all.