Nov 14 - The Government Says Opposition’s “Political Hypocrisy Knows No Bounds”
Reacting to a GSD statement made earlier today, the Government says that the Opposition has the “audacity to complain about tobacco related activity in housing estates and on particular beaches as if this problem had not surfaced and grown during their sixteen years in power.”
The Government says that it was precisely the GSD administration that allowed tobacco in housing estates to get out of control and planted the seed for the problems that exist today.
This Government says that they have, in contrast, “identified the problem that exists in certain estates close to the frontier” and “pledged to act by banning the existing retail of tobacco from Glacis and Laguna Estates. A reasonable period of time is being allowed to enable the affected businesses to relocate.”
A statement continues: “This Government, in only two years, has provided unprecedented resources to the Royal Gibraltar Police at sea. This includes two high speed vessels as well as a larger launch. There are more vessels on the way both for police and for Customs.
“The commitment for a police base on the East side has been held up because the Government did not own the reclaimed land until now. This makes it easier to progress this project. It is worth recalling that in 16 years in office the GSD did nothing at all to provide such a base and it is a touch hypocritical that they have seen the light only after they were removed from Government. The Opposition have jumped the gun again because an area for the marine base has already been created.
“The Royal Gibraltar Police, HM Customs and other agencies are acting against tobacco smuggling on a daily basis, as the number of arrests published in the media clearly show.
“Given the facts above, the Government can only conclude that objective of the Opposition must be both to create political mischief in Gibraltar and to provide ammunition to Spain. They cannot blame the present Government for having to deal with the situation that we inherited from them.”
