ERG says proposals for Consultative Council ‘a mistake’
‘Equality Rights Group favours structural social, constitutional and parliamentary reforms which will bring greater participation and maturity to our democratic process,’ group Chairman Felix Alvarez has said today in a statement to media. ‘But reliance and dependence on an established political class is not, in our view, the way forward. And the Consultative Council idea, as currently proposed, serves only to entrench class and social division in Gibraltar, whilst encouraging the predominance of a social aristocracy. It is, instead, Civil Society that the Chief Minister should be prioritising and turning towards: the Unions and the non-governmental organisations in the front line of his consideration. We do not, at the same time, deny the value of drawing from a second line of experience in our society, but more open democracy requires a new emphasis and approach.
‘Our thinking is not the fruit of superficial opinion. We have been cautious in taking our time to study in depth the Chief Minister’s fairly long-standing proposals. And we welcome and recognize that any move to widen involvement of citizens in the business of government is indeed a step in the right direction. But we can do better!
‘Over the past few years we have noticed a trend towards the trappings of outward imitation. Small, perhaps even trite, yet telling details such as the obtainment of a close replica of the traditional British Chancellor’s ‘Budget Satchel’, the much-improved but inevitable shadowing of 10 Downing Street with the new entrance design to No. 6, and the conscious touting of a body ‘similar to the Privy Council’ are pointers. Whilst not laying undue emphasis on these observations, we cannot but see a basic incongruity: while aiming to establish and convince the world at the UN and elsewhere of our distinct identity and personality as a People (and, in the process, neglecting to the point of near extinction our most distinct sign of originality, our Llanito linguistics), barring National Day and the Calentita event, we do little to innovate in a way which demonstrates the claim to our own Gibraltarian identity. Gibraltar cannot survive into the future politically as a copy/paste society! Our claim to distinct status identity rests on this being palpable not only to ourselves, but to the rest of the world, too.
‘It is with these underpinnings in mind that we are concerned at the Consultative Council proposals. In our considered view, what the Chief Minister of a small community such as Gibraltar at this juncture in its development needs to do is to democratise, democratise, democratise! Entrenching the right of a political class to perpetuate itself through guaranteed automatic lifelong membership of a new prestigious body which will, furthermore, provide its participants with Westminster-style ‘Right Honourable’ high status is, though perhaps well-intentioned, avoidably self-serving and an error. We understand the allure of the model, but insist that our task today as a Society is much more complex, and much more important: to build a modern State for our People. And that means standing on our own two feet at every level. Gibraltar and Gibraltarians, we believe, need and are fully capable of that,’ Mr. Alvarez continued.
‘ERG does, however, welcome the condition that appointment to the Council attracts no remuneration. We would still appreciate clarification that this extends to the non-concession of any other indirect benefit accruing to appointees.
‘As Chairman of ERG, therefore, I appeal to both Government’s Council of Ministers and the parliamentary Opposition to think very carefully about the Consultative Council proposals. And to invest the time and effort in reshaping and rethinking the establishment of such a body. In our view, it is a possible building block towards important parliamentary reform, and the first step towards the creation of a Gibraltar second Chamber on more democratic, more innovative and, indeed, along lines more suited to our own society than the present House of Lords model,’ the statement ended.
