What does Gibraltar want from its politicians?

By Nick Calamaro

The latest Principal Auditor’s Report has already set off tremendous debate in our community. But beyond the opaque payments lies a deeper issue, which neither the government nor their critics seem to contest, the ways in which our young democracy continues to concentrate power in the hands of ministers, granting them near-unlimited discretion to intervene in individual cases.

Working with local charities, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know many of Gibraltar’s ministers personally. They have gone above and beyond to help our team at Men In Need secure employment, access to services, and basic essentials to dozens of men in need of a second chance. Their intervention has turned people’s lives around for the better and that deserves recognition. But despite this, I still believe that allowing our system of government to rely so heavily on ministerial intervention would be doing Gibraltar a disservice. Every time we have to petition a government minister for aid, it has come at the expense of creating a fairer framework. It has left both our public services and many of our residents worse off.

The primary victims of this are overwhelmingly the young, minorities, and those who simply lack personal connections to decision makers. By having to participate in a system where personal intervention by ministers has become routine, those without connections end up sidelined, dealing with unfit processes which have not kept up with the needs of our community.

The other victims of this system are our civil servants. Rather than following clear guidelines or serving the public directly, civil servants are faced with antiquated processes which they know are not fit for purpose. They come to expect that they will be sidelined and are forced to learn more about managing personalities than managing results. In such an environment, public servants cannot build the expertise and confidence needed to design better systems. Instead, they are forced to navigate personal whims and party politics, an inefficient and demoralising way to run any public service.

The cumulative effect of this is a weakened civil service that lacks both the authority and the expertise to address Gibraltar’s evolving challenges.

All of this has clearly eroded public trust in our government. Legal settlements, questionable overtime, and public tender processes are going to be a challenge for any government to handle appropriately, particularly in a place as small and connected as Gibraltar. But when one man has the power to move millions of pounds, the public are right to demand some pretty good reasoning.

Instead of relying on the word of one man, I believe it is time for Gibraltar to learn from our British heritage and make sure that our institutions have the power and the expertise to carry out these functions independently. Doing so would allow the government to act with the discretion it requires, while assuring the public that decisions are being made in their interest.

So I believe now is as good a time as ever to ask, what does Gibraltar need from its politicians? Do we want them to keep juggling their roles as leaders, administrators and caseworkers, with all of the potential for nepotism that entails? Or are we ready to accept that the role of a leader in a modern organisation has changed? That to guarantee fairness and high standards, a leader must clear the way and chart a course for the team around them.

For my part, I believe Gibraltar is ready for that next step in our journey. By ending the reliance on personal connections and by empowering our public servants, we can ensure that every family on the housing list, every patient seeking care, and every child waiting for support receives equal treatment under clear, transparent rules.

That is the promise of a true democracy, and it is well within our reach.

Nick Calamaro is a Trustee for Men In Need Gibraltar and Leader of Together Gibraltar.