Nov 15 - GSD Under Azopardi Can Become A “Radicalising Force For Change”
The race is on for the GSD leadership and, with just over two weeks left until members cast their votes, Keith Azopardi promises the party can become a “radicalising force for change” if he is elected.
Mr Azopardi and the Interim Leader Roy Clinton are vying for the role.
If Mr Azopardi is elected as leader of the party, this will be the first time Gibraltar sees the leader of an opposition party who is not serving as an MP. This will also mean he will have to appoint a serving MP to lead the party in Parliament.
At a press conference held this morning, Mr Azopardi said these are exciting times and he set out four pillars on which he seeks a mandate from members: people, communication, message, policy and structure.
Mr Azopardi said: “I believe we can return to being the strong alternative to Government and, with a bit of hard work, the Government itself.
“To do that we need to look forward not back. There is no point in dwelling on the past. We must learn from the past and set out a positive vision for the future.
“It is only by doing that and connecting with all sectors of society that we will be able to enthuse Gibraltar.
“That’s why I speak the language of renewal, renergising the party and rebuilding. For that we need people, we need to communicate better and renew our message. We can become that radicalising force for change.”
Mr Azopardi said set out his vision, focusing on Gibraltar as whole, and highlighted housing, the health service, opportunities for young people, dealing with social media and the effect on youth, constitutional reform, public debt, Brexit, the state of our roads, relations with Spain and Britain as major issues. He added that these required clear vision, experience and energy.
He said that although he is not disagreeing with Mr Clinton’s objectives set out to the party, his four points offer a much deeper and more radical programme, whereas he thinks Mr Clinton’s aims for party conferences and changes to the GSD “will fall well short of what we need to do”.
He added: “These issues will require tough decisions and always leadership. This contest is not just about choosing the party leader. It is also about the members choosing someone to go into the next election to debate with Fabian Picardo and about who they trust has the experience to negotiate with Britain, face Spain and deal with the important domestic issues in the future. This choice is really important.”
Mr Azopardi, who has been in frontline politics for 25 years, said he has been receiving positive feedback from members.
If he were to lose the leadership election, Mr Azopardi says he is committed to rebuilding the party and for now is focusing on his approach and on winning the upcoming leadership election, adding that there are no pre-conditions to him returning to the party.
He said: “I want people to vote positively in this election. I want people to hear me out, give me a fair hearing, listen to Roy as well and then pound for pound decide who is the better candidate in their view to lead the party into greater success.”
At present, Mr Clinton pays his Leader of the Opposition top-up to the GSD coffers, and Mr Azopardi envisages his appointed MP to follow in the same route.
The leadership hopeful said he is very conscious of the task ahead, and is grateful for the endorsement he received from the former Chief Minister Sir Peter Caruana, adding: “Knowing him as I do, I know he does not express his view lightly and it is something that I would urge members to considers when deciding who to support.”
Referring to Mr Clinton’s statement disagreeing with Sir Peter’s public endorsement, Mr Azopardi said: “It is a massive contradiction in terms that in such a democratic process democrats should seek to gag party members form expressing a view in this most important election in the Party’s history.”
Mr Azopardi is calling for members to come out and vote for their leader, adding that he will be hosting an event to interact with members tomorrow evening at party headquarters.
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