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Smokescreen and nonsense, says Govt
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In an earlier Press release, the Government said that Mr Bossano?s response to the Government?s reaction to his participation in the Antenna 3 programme about the Social Services Agency makes the matter worse. Despite Gibraltar, including GSLP supporters, being in a state of consternation about the matter, Mr Bossano?s view is that there is nothing untoward.
The question is not, as Mr Bossano says, whether the Government is trying to divert attention away from the issues raised by the programme itself. This is a smokescreen by Mr Bossano and a nonsense. It is a nonsense because the issues above have been fully and publicly aired and debated in Gibraltar where it is right to do so. No diversion of attention is thus possible or necessary. This issue is that millions of people in Spain now believe that in Dr Giraldi Home children are sexually abused and tortured, and also that the Government of Gibraltar covers up the matter. The grave effect on Gibraltar?s image and interests are obvious to anyone who has seen the programme.
Quite apart from the field day had at Gibraltar?s expense by the programme presenters, the text messages on screen ranged from ?Gibraltar espa?ol y seguro que esto no pasaba?, to ?y Espa?a no puede hacer nada?? and to ?No me puedo creer que en el Siglo XXI sigan pasando estas cosas?. Mr Bossano has not explained why co-operating in and facilitating the denigration of Gibraltar in Spain in this way on a purely domestic issue serves any interest of Gibraltar.
His participation in this programme, and that of Mr Neil Costa, is simply a continuation and extension of the domestic party political battle that they have both waged against the Government on this issue. Who requested the interview, where it was filmed and whether the allegations were already in the public domain are totally irrelevant.
The Government does not complain that Messrs Bossano, Costa and Azzopardi have been disloyal to the GSD Government. The Government complains that Mr Bossano has been disloyal to Gibraltar, and has once again, placed his desire to damage the GSD Government well ahead of his concern for Gibraltar.
Mr Bossano says that this programme was no different to what happens when any other journalist from any other country requests an interview, and that nothing was said to denigrate Gibraltar. This statement beggars belief. There is no precedent for this behaviour by Gibraltar politicians. Furthermore, what Mr Bossano said was not even true.
In order to create the impression that the Government was covering up the allegations, Mr Bossano told the programme that if the allegations were not true why didn?t the Government allow the case to proceed, and that the Government had not clarified that. This is not true. The Government has given a full explanation in Parliament and outside Parliament of why the case could not proceed.
The Government has also made clear that all allegations have been fully and properly investigated, and that despite not being able to defend the case at the hearing, the Government was not conceding that Ms Hernandez was unfairly dismissed. Simply repeating in his statements now his well known and untrue allegations about Dr Giraldi Home, does not explain or justify Mr Bossano?s decision to use Spanish Television to fight his domestic political battles against the Government at Gibraltar?s expense, said the Government.
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