Kurt Sansone
Calls on Borg Olivier to quit
Calls for the resignation of Nationalist Party general secretary have gathered momentum since the European Parliament election drubbing, The Sunday Times has learnt, as disgruntlement over his performance came to the surface.
In the aftermath of the worst electoral defeat in over five decades, various people from the root and branch of the party are known to be calling on Paul Borg Olivier to offer his resignation.
It is understood that Dr Borg Olivier has privately ruled out stepping down from a post he has only occupied for one year, insisting that "the writing had been on the wall" in relation to electoral performance before he was elected general secretary.
He said when contacted yesterday: "I do not know what people are saying but now is not the time to point fingers. The party has to collectively analyse and interpret the EP and local council election results and understand what people have told us."
When asked whether he would be tendering his resignation, he said: "I will shoulder the responsibility that needs to be shouldered but now is the time for a collective, united effort by the party to analyse the results like we have always done," he said.
Dr Borg Olivier may have been bolstered by the defence afforded to him by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi during the parliamentary group meeting held last week.
A PN member of parliament told The Sunday Times: "The Prime Minister's defence may have stymied the momentum of those requesting Paul Borg Olivier's resignation."
However, a former PN minister said there had been a lot of grumbling about Dr Borg Olivier's overall performance throughout this year from the party's grassroots and members of the executive.
Dr Borg Olivier embarrassed the party last year when he mistakenly sent an e-mail intended for internal party consumption to his Labour counterpart Jason Micallef. The e-mail contained information on the creation of a system of complaints gathering that also involved the ministries.
However, the general secretary's role in the electoral campaign is still unclear with sources saying that he was actually "asked to stay away" by Dr Gonzi's close aides.
In the Prime Minister's first press conference of the electoral campaign, Dr Borg Olivier had introduced Dr Gonzi and stayed on throughout the event. However, in subsequent events he was replaced by MEP Simon Busuttil, who took a more central role.
It was only in the counting hall that Dr Borg Olivier was once again pushed to the forefront - he was the one who had to announce the massive defeat to the media. The Labour Party obtained 55 per cent of the vote, in contrast to the Nationalists' 40 per cent.
While calls for Dr Borg Olivier's dismissal may have been temporarily stopped in their tracks, at least one PN heavyweight has publicly cautioned against making a scapegoat out of the general secretary.
Former minister Michael Falzon, writing today in The Sunday Times, says that despite his defects the secretary general "can hardly be responsible for the mess wrought by others".
Mr Falzon instead points the finger at the "coterie at Castille".
"Although it is the party that lost the election, it is the government that is responsible for the defeat," Mr Falzon says.
In a scathing attack, he also says the government "has lost the plot".
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Mike Micallef
Jun 15th 2009, 08:41
a simple question before targetting Pawlu Borg Olivier. Who was it that the people voted against or abstained from supporting, the Party or the Government? after answering that question, then and only then, can one decide what resignations to ask for.
J Farrugia
Jun 15th 2009, 08:09
shall we dump PBO for winning 3 local councils from the LP hands? Do it and you will lose the general election. That's for sure. These PN delegates never fail to amaze me. Dont try to do a tony blair or you will regret it for the rest of your lives.
Joseph Vella
Jun 14th 2009, 21:34
Hands-off Dr Borg Olivier.
The removal of a decent person like Borg Oliver would be a loss to the party.
The party is slowly being hijacked by a group of persons who are the Reason for the landslide defeat of the PN.
Mary Galea
Jun 14th 2009, 17:36
@ Carmel. J. Farrugia
I fully endorse all that you say and a lot more too. GonziPN has to take a vary long look in the mirror and act upon what they see pronto or else ALL WILL BE LOST.
robert musumeci
Jun 14th 2009, 16:49
Calls from who? If it is the case, is it possible for the journalist to unravel any names? Perhaps, he should aslo be blamed for the reinstatment of new PN majorities in Pieta', San Gwann and Mtarfa? Perhaps PBO should also be blamed for being decent, moderate, articulated and open minded. These articles only serve to express our full confidence and trust in PBO.
C.Busuttil
Jun 14th 2009, 15:43
@J. Oatmon
what have the gov departments to do with the PN debacle?, through my work I am nearly daily in contact with the staff in various departments, its not the staff the problem but the highly renumerated management that after all are political appointed, they leave their staff often in the dark without direction. These "managers" are only interested in their performance bonus and having at their disposal a luxury car.
@J. Martinelli
Communications is not the problem, arrogance by people that surround ministers and even by some ministers themselves, is very well communicated. The PN needs to listen and not bulldoze everyone, some energy saving bulbs will change nothing. Before the election we have been promised all sorts of things especially that the party would listen and remove all sorts of arrogance, A year after, nothing has changed. Either the PN takes action NOW or else in 4 years the party will find itself in opposition for many years to come. Believe me many nationalist are starting to listen what the other side are saying or else have already moved. When you bring this to the attention of the PN you get "mghandniex bzonnhom"
J Oatmon
Jun 14th 2009, 14:37
@ J Martinelli - I agree with your comments, and in my opinion there is a general lack of professionalism in Malta.
I feel that many government departments just seem to 'muddle through' with half the staff absent, and no clear plan to execute their tasks, or a way of monitoring the staff performance, or the will to do it either (unacceptable to the unions perhaps) .
The amateur way things are done in Malta, and the general lack of forward planning, seems more like the shambles in a third world country, than part of a modern Europe.
James A. Tyrrell
Jun 14th 2009, 14:01
Surely the poor results obtained by the PN in the recent election are a reflection of how the country feels not about one man but about the Government as a whole. When Harry S. Truman was in the office of President of the United States he had a sign on his desk, which read, 'The Buck Stops Here'. The same applies to all positions of power and for that reason if anyone should take the fall it should be Gonzi.
Peter Abela
Jun 14th 2009, 13:55
Finding the easy way out is very easy; Admitting realities of the farse is is even more difficult. This is time for rethinking, and not for looking for scapegoates.
Surely the general secretary has and always been accessible to the party people. One augers that out polititions follow his track.
From expirience it may be the time that the Dr Gonzi takes hold of the customer care and ensures that people are heard, especially when many of the customer care offices in most ministerial are as deaf as a door post, not to say run by almighties
Keep it up Paul
Marcel Dingli
Jun 14th 2009, 13:08
Yes sure Martinelli, the bigest of the PN s problems is communications. The arrogant refuse to listen, understand and communicate, let alone care about the people`s needs. For once i have to agree with you.
simon borg batrolo
Jun 14th 2009, 12:22
i dont no why the pn blaming DR PAUL BORG OLIVIER.We should blame the goverment iDR GONZI first things u have to do is to get rid of DR austin gatt before its to late......................................
J Martinelli
Jun 14th 2009, 12:20
The NP's biggest problem is lack of COMMUNICATIONS, commonly mistaken for lack of transparency.
Its electronic media is second class at best, availability of news at other than live are abysmal making it near impossible to watch news if the live version is over. News and important events coverage should be on stream all the time. Not everyone has the opportunity to watch live.
Premature announcements regarding new projects and reforms should cease and timely announcements should be made only when the plans are reviewed, in place, quotes obtained and time-frames realistic making time allowances to cater for unforeseen snags.
Ministers must pull up their socks and give their 100% and accept the fact that Dr. Gonzi is Prime Minister. Dr. Gonzi, in turn, must not be afraid to take anyone not on side, to task.
Now that both the MEP and Local Councils elections are over, the NP must not look back but make sure that for the next four years no sloppy decisions are taken but that each project started is finished on time and on budget.
In the end, people will decide on the merits of what is accomplished not empty rhetoric offered by the LP.
Carmel J Farrugia
Jun 14th 2009, 12:13
Everybody seems to nail the defeat of the PN on the W&E bills and the courageous reforms, mostly in public transport:
1) Why was not the rampant allegations of corruption mentioned?
2) the general absence of government with only two ministers doing something Austin Gatt and Jason Azzopardi (and the latter has now been shut up with his hands tied).
3) Clean Energy generation --- where we have fallen backwards.
4) Why was not the proliferation of boards, authorities, foundations etc with huge amounts of money going down the drain to keep directors, CEOs, drivers, nice cars running?
5) The proven corruption at ADT, Malta Martime and now VAT department – and God alone knows what other cases have not yet come to light.
6) The immigration problem, which seems to have calmed down now with the efforts of Maroni and not the Maltese Government.
7) MEPA and the environmental disaster it is chairing;
8) Rampant abuse by contractors – vide Sliema and Bugibba.
9) The Mater Dei disaster, with a new hospital taking 19 years to build and as soon as it is opened we find out that it is too small for the purpose it was build;
P Borg
Jun 14th 2009, 11:25
In the impossible scenario of a resignation, it should be the PM who resigns.
vincent a galea
Jun 14th 2009, 10:54
I do not want to go into the merits or demerits of Dr Paul Borg Olivier's position.
But why do the Maltese keep using this word RESIGNATION?? RESIGNING does not exist either in the VOCABULARY or CULTURE of any person who holds some kind of authority in these Islands!
J Hughes
Jun 14th 2009, 10:48
So some of PN are trying to use Paul Borg Olivier as a scapegoat?
I agree that the writing was on the wall. So arrogance and hard headedness had nothing to do with it? How about the softy approach (do gooder style) with the illegal immigrant issue?
Paul you are not to blame, it’s the arrogance approach that has been embedded in PN is costing votes.
Karl Abela
Jun 14th 2009, 10:16
PN's job is very simple. They need to find a way to reach the abstainees who, as we all know, are lazy PN followers especially in areas like Sliema.
The Labour party secretly know very well that they won this election not because they increased in popularity but because many PN followers couldnt give a toss.