Jun 30 - GSD Chairman Responds To Government Allegations
In response to the recent Government statement, the Chairman of the GSD, Trevor Hammond said: "I am passionate about the safety of our community and the people in it, both in a professional and political capacity. Nothing is more important to me and my sole interest in LNG in Gibraltar is whether it is safe for Gibraltar. I will always challenge anything that places our homes, schools, hospital and people at risk. What is clear is that not everyone is satisfied that the GSLP Government has done its due diligence on their LNG storage and bunkering proposal. The GSD will do whatever it takes to keep our country safe and refuse to let anyone suggest that the Lloyd's report wasn't in our national interest. These press releases only serve to distract from the real issue which is the safety of Gibraltar and its people.
"I will not be descending to the level of debate at which the Chief Minister appears happiest and resort to name calling, or indeed be issuing any legal letter claiming a tarnished reputation. Neither will I be intimidated; I believe our democracy is facing a serious threat as all the resources of Government are being deployed to silence political opposition. What we have seen in the last week is not an attempt to win the debate over LNG with rational argument but rather an attempt to obliterate political opponents with highly personalized attacks. That is dangerous for democracy.
"Where LNG is concerned, because of the enormous consequences to our community of a serious incident, I believe that if the plans are not completely safe, then that's not good enough for me, the GSD or Gibraltar."
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