John Culatto
LONE Together Gibraltar Opposition MP Marlene Hassan Nahon will NOT stand as a candidate at this year’s Gibraltar elections.
The TG leader announced her decision to step away from politics ‘with a heavy heart and a soul weighed down by a burden I cannot shake,’ in a social media statement.
The daughter of one of the Rock’s greatest political leaders Sir Joshua Hassan said she had ‘tried’ to make a difference but has now realised ‘TG cannot bring the change Gibraltar needs’.
And she said she ‘cannot be part of a potential opposition alliance at this stage’.
The lonely outspoken voice as the only member of Together Gibraltar to be elected into parliament in 2019 said she could not rally people away from the Rock’s political ‘tribalism’.
“I have tried to entice those neglected sectors of our society, and to embolden ‘ordinary’ citizens,” she said.
“But the fact is the support and the love I receive from our people on a daily basis has not translated into activists and candidates ready to take on the mission to transform our politics.”
Hassan Nahon left the Gibraltar Social Democrats to found Together Gibraltar and expressed how she still feels the GSD party she left behind is too different from her own vision.
“I‘m afraid that there are still at this stage deep philosophical, ideological and policy differences between myself and the GSD,” she said in her statement.
“I cannot bring myself to sacrifice my integrity and principles and ally myself with another party whose general direction on the political spectrum is so different from mine.”
While Together Gibraltar had a progressive agenda, the GSD supported more conservative policies.
One of the main areas of contention was the abortion referendum.
While Hassan Nahon wanted a more extensive abortion law, the GSD voted against lifting the century-old life sentence with its pro-life stance.
But as she gets ready to step out of the limelight, this does not seem to be the case for the rest of her party.
Her fellow executive member hinted at a united opposition to the GSLP/Liberal coalition that has now recorded three terms in a row.
“Perhaps now is the time for the Opposition to unite and fight in unison the common cause,” Eddie Wood said.
He also hinted at another reason for her departure from politics.
“When you suffer a personal loss that I can well relate to, I can totally understand her decision,” said the TG executive board member.
But Hassan Nahon did not rule out a return to her ‘life’s work’ either.
“Who knows if it is the end of my political story,” she said.
“In the same way as I never planned on entering politics when I did in 2013, I did so because at the time I felt I could add value, perhaps that moment will come again one day.”
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