Your Excellency, Mr Speaker, President of the
CPA, Mr Chairman, Secretary General, distinguished members, ladies and gentlemen.
It is a great pleasure for us in Gibraltar to
be hosting the mid-year Executive Committee meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary
Association. Some of you are old friends who return to our shores once again. But for many
it will be your first time in Gibraltar. The pleasant duty of conveying the warmest and
most sincere welcome from the Government and people of Gibraltar falls upon me and I am
delighted to be able to discharge it.
We value our ties with the Commonwealth and
our membership of the Parliamentary Association. The fact that there are more than twenty
countries present here from regions as diverse as Africa, Asia, Australia, the
Mediterranean and British Islands, Canada, the Caribbean, the Pacific and South East Asia
epitomises the precise importance of the Commonwealth and its place on the world stage.
The coming together of so many nations on the basis of a common language and a shared
history provides not only a venue for a useful interchange of information but also the
opportunity for strong international lobbying as one cohesive association on behalf of its
members.
Indeed just recently at the United Nations
Offshore Forum meeting on financial regulation the Commonwealth Secretariat made a very
helpful statement putting forward the concerns and expectations of many Commonwealth
countries in relation to the ongoing international initiatives (on fiscal matters - such
as that of the OECD) which have been and are the source of some controversy. It is
important that the fiscal sovereignty of commonwealth territories such as Gibraltar is
respected and that any international initiatives that exist should be carried out in a
fair, transparent, non-discriminatory way and in accordance with the principles of natural
justice.
I know from experience of attendance at
Commonwealth ministerial meetings and Parliamentary conferences just how valuable
Commonwealth contact can be as a source of knowledge, expertise, experience and friendship
that transcends national frontiers and brings together peoples of vastly different
backgrounds.
The Association of Commonwealth
Parliamentarians with its stated aim of promoting understanding of the different
constitutional, cultural, social and legislative systems within a framework of
parliamentary democracy makes an important contribution in that field and we are glad to
play our part in this Association.
There are of course important challenges for
the future. The trends identified in 1998 by the Meech Lake (Ottawa) conference (on
Governance) of public participation in the process of government, the impact of
information technology and global interdependence will influence the way our lives are
run. The CPA is well placed to assist in the process of change that will be necessary to
respond to those trends.
We hope that you will enjoy your time in
Gibraltar and that you will be able to find some time to explore our territory, culture
and history. I thought it would be appropriate if I took this opportunity to sketch some
background for you on our country which you might find of interest during your stay.
Gibraltar is a physically small territory
with a rich history and heritage. Our links with the British Crown go back nearly three
hundred years to 1704. His Excellency’s presence in our country as the Crown’s
representative is valued as such – as the embodiment of the voluntary desire of
Gibraltarians to maintain a link with the Crown.
Against that background the people of
Gibraltar enjoy a very substantial measure of self-government. We have had a Ministerial
system since the 1960s. Executive decisions are taken through our Council of Ministers
(Gibraltar’s Cabinet) which is chaired by the Chief Minister. We exercise
self-government in all areas except external affairs, defence and internal security
(though even in these two areas it is important to note that the Government fully fund the
costs of the police force and that the resident Battalion is our own Royal Gibraltar
Regiment). In external matters we generally expect that Britain should robustly defend and
represent us in accordance with our wishes - as expressed through our elected Government
(who hold the People’s mandate). We do not think this is an unreasonable or onerous
obligation – but rather just a natural consequence of our constitutional relationship
which imposes both rights and obligations.
Gibraltarians have had the opportunity to
elect their Government through due electoral process for decades. We are proud of our
democratic record. There was a time – not so long ago that Gibraltar was the only
beacon of democracy in the Iberian Peninsula.
Our Parliament enacts all our laws and
because of our membership of the European Union it is also the Assembly that is the forum
of debate when it comes to transposition of EU directives.
Gibraltar is a separate legal, political,
administrative and judicial jurisdiction from the UK. We are entirely self-sufficient
financially. Our three principal economic pillars are tourism, financial services and
shipping. Our financial services industry is highly skilled, efficient and very well
regulated. So much so that the British Foreign Secretary referred to Gibraltar as a
benchmark jurisdiction in financial services. Millions of tourists come to enjoy Gibraltar
and its heritage assets. (Weather of the last few days aside). Our port is the largest
bunkering port in the Mediterranean and our geographic position at an international
crossroads for maritime traffic allows a ship repair and conversion yard to foster. We
hope that the emerging e-commerce possibilities can be exploited through the combination
of our unique commercial and professional advantages, quality of life, advanced
infrastructure and high educational standards to create further diversification of our
economy.
Gibraltar is a sophisticated, highly
developed, politically advanced society and this is naturally matched by the aspirations
of its people for political evolution and maximum self-government.
We are among the cluster of remaining
Overseas Territories linked to the British Crown. But our state of constitutional
development is significantly more advanced than many other territories. Our Constitution
dates back to 1969 but by Convention has progressed further since then. The relevance of
analysing the state of constitutional development of other territories is important in
realising that it is impossible to batch all territories together into a standardised form
of constitutional development. All territories are different and constitutional content
must be tailored to the individual circumstances.
We are now embarked on a process of
constitutional review and we expect recommendations to go forward from Gibraltar for
constitutional reform later this year after a Select Committee convened for that purpose
has concluded its work.
Gibraltar is seeking decolonisation in
accordance with the inalienable and unqualifiable right of the people to determine their
future. The language of self-determination and decolonisation will be a familiar discourse
to many Commonwealth territories. The sad fact of life in Gibraltar, though, is that
politicians have been using the language of self-determination and decolonisation for at
least thirty years and these aspirations have, as yet, not been met fully.
The other principal political issue I wanted
to highlight is that the maintenance of the anachronistic claim by the Spanish State of
sovereignty over our territory continues to hinder our economic and political progress.
But not only is there a long-standing sovereignty claim; Spain prosecutes her claim by
imposing maritime, air and land access restrictions on Gibraltar and by seeking to take a
lengthy list of unfriendly actions which are inconsistent with international law or human
rights.
It is unfortunate, to say the least, that as
we break through into a new millenium - with much romanticism being bandied about of the
future comity, respect and friendship among peoples and nations - that those comments
should ring as hollow in Gibraltar as they do in other commonwealth territories with
historic international grievances.
It is inconceivable to us that in an age
where the divine right of kings has given way to the concept of sovereignty of peoples and
in which there is much greater sensitivity of the right to self-determination (in places
as different as Kosovo or East Timor) that this principle should not be strictly adhered
to in relation to a territory which is part of the European Union. More so when the EU is
a group of nations that prides itself on respect for modern international principles.
We have no difficulty in and have extended
the hand of friendship to Spain. We would pursue constructive dialogue with
self-confidence. In a modern Europe there should be political co-operation and
co-habitation not conflict or coercion. We should be able to live in peace with our
neighbours (indeed we are eager to do so) without being expected to barter our sovereignty
away. Gibraltar only belongs to the people of Gibraltar and we have the right to freely
determine our future – without strings, pressures or qualifications.
I have touched on the main political
issues as an introduction to Gibraltar. I am sure you will get the chance through the
social side of the programme to better acquaint yourselves with Gibraltar and its people.
I hope you will find us to be a warm people and that you will leave us at the end of the
week with a good impression and with the desire to come back one day.
On behalf of the Government and people of
this territory I would like to wish you a fruitful week among us. |