Nov 19 – GSD: Chief Minister Shifting The Blame To RGP “A Complete Abrogation Of Political Responsibility”
The GSD says that in the direct democracy program on GBC yesterday the Chief Minister “sought to shift the responsibility to the RGP for the lack of enforcement of the Nature Protection Act in relation to fishing with nets by Spanish Fishermen in BGTW.” The Opposition argues that this is not the first time Mr Picardo has done so.
The party says that it would, however, remind the Chief Minister that in the GSLP-Liberal manifesto his party said “very clearly and unequivocally” that: “we do not believe it is right to allow illegal fishing in our waters and we will stop this immediately. We will ensure that the ban on the use of drift nets and other nets is enforced without political interference”.
The reality, says the GSD, is that the Nature Protection Act ban on the use of nets “is not being enforced” despite what it describes as the GSLP-Liberals’ “very clear manifesto commitment.”
A statement from the party concludes: “To just simply shift the blame to the RGP is a complete abrogation of political responsibility.
“Moreover, as with his arguments on public debt and the state of public finances, the Chief Minister’s position today is completely at odds with the position he adopted at last election. Either his 2011 manifesto was misleading by claiming a GSLP-Liberal Government would stop net fishing in BGTW and ensure the Nature Protection Act was enforced, or the Chief Minister is misleading people now by washing his hands and claiming he cannot do anything about it because enforcement is a matter entirely for the police.”
