Heated council meeting suspended

The Mtarfa council yesterday discussed a motion of no-confidence in mayor Josephine Abela in what turned out to be a highly charged public meeting which had to be suspended.

The motion was moved by deputy mayor John Camilleri and Nationalist councillors Godfrey Muscat and John Said.

It claimed the mayor was bypassing the other councillors and nominated Mr Camilleri as mayor and Mr Muscat as deputy mayor. The other council member is Saviour Abela, who along with the mayor represents the Labour Party.

Mr Camilleri, who was returned on a Labour Party ticket but was recently banned from representing the MLP over the motion, was met with shouts of traitor from members of the public.

At one point the council's executive secretary, Emmanuel Farrugia, asked the public to leave the room, and when this request was refused he walked out.

The mayor suspended the meeting after it got out of hand, but did not give a date for it to reconvene.

The three councillors who moved the motion have now written to her asking her to recall the meeting as soon as possible, so that a vote on the motion could be taken.

They have also written to Local Councils Minister Tonio Borg asking him to appoint an acting executive secretary to replace Mr Farrugia.

Under the Local Councils Act, a mayor would have to leave the post if a motion of no-confidence is approved.

Until the beginning of this month, the Labour Party had a majority of three members on the council, but Mr Camilleri was barred from representing the MLP by the party's Vigilance and Disciplinary Board. He cannot occupy any post within the party.

The board claimed he failed to observe the code of ethics for Labour candidates and councillors and the party's statute dealing with local councils.

Matters came to a head when Mr Camilleri moved the vote of no confidence on October 2, and the party said he had displayed "complete indifference" towards its rules since he was elected seven months ago.

Mr Camilleri had been complaining that he was systematically being left out of the running of the council.

According to the Local Councils Act, motions have to be decided during a meeting of the council, not less than five days since a motion is moved and not longer than 10 days after that date.