Christian Peregin
Institutions must respect one another, PM insists
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday defended his criticism of the planning authority's audit officer Joe Falzon, saying institutions needed to respect each other to safeguard democracy.
The auditor made a "big mistake" when he criticised a decision by the courts, Dr Gonzi said, comparing it to "the time of the socialists" when judges and magistrates used to be frequently attacked for their decisions.
Dr Gonzi was interviewed during a political meeting in Lija.
He said he looked forward to an objective investigation into last Wednesday's nationwide power cut because a company that was interested in investing in Malta told him that a power cut of one hour would cost it €5 million.
He listed a series of "coincidences" surrounding the three previous blackouts, which coincided with discussions about Enemalta in Parliament or on television.
"I don't know whether it was sabotage. Coincidences happen. But, whether it was sabotage or not, we need to know what measures to take," he said.
The best way forward was to have various sources of electricity including oil, gas, wind farms and an interconnecting cable with Sicily, so if one faltered, the others would compensate.
Dr Gonzi said that if the government continued to subsidise electricity, the public would not recognise the importance of investing in alternative energy equipment such as solar-water heaters.
He said no decision had been taken on the future use of the unused St Luke's Hospital. This was a prime site and the government hoped to attract foreign investment to it, but was waiting for the post-crisis opportunities to arise.
He said he wanted hospital waiting lists to be cut to acceptable levels in three years' time.
Reacting to Dr Gonzi's comments, the Labour Party said it was disappointed by the fact that he was "implying" sabotage as a cause for the power cut, making workers look bad.
It also criticised Dr Gonzi's "institutionalised" attack on the Mepa auditor who, the party said, was challenging the code of silence on doubtful cases. "This is a case of shooting the messenger not the message," it said.
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Joseph Grech
Nov 23rd 2009, 23:14
I agree wholeheartedly - NOT with the P.M. but with David E. Vella who couldn't have put it any better.
Our P.M. seems to be living in a wishful world of his own where nobody has the right (AND SOMETIMES THE DUTY) to criticize others. Except for himself that is.
He would have us believe that the Mepa Auditor should not have criticised a lop-sided comment by a judge but that it is OK for the P.M. himself to criticise the Auditor for so doing! Oh come on!
Democracy requires that the shortcomings / abuses at times committed by institutions (for example the Mepa DCC Boards, the Planning Appeals Board, the different government Ministries, the Police, etc) should be trumpeted from the heavens. That is the way to move forward dear P.M. Looking the other way, trying to give the impression that all is fine when the situation is actually topsy-turvy will not impress and is WRONG.
We all know the saying that one may fool some people sometimes but one cannot hope to fool all the people all of the time. Audit Officer Falzon earned the respect of the Maltese for speaking out the way he did!
Phil Humphries
Nov 23rd 2009, 18:11
Respect cannot be assumed, nor can it be demanded; it has to be EARNED. Enough said, I think.
David E. Vella
Nov 23rd 2009, 14:57
In a democratic society it is the duty of every citizen to criticise institutions that fail to deliver what they are meant to. The problem with Malta is that institutions are not criticised enough for fear of repercussions and this in turn allows them to staffed by unaccountable paper-pushing bureaucrats. For the PM to criticise someone for criticising shows a lack of understanding of the way that institutions become respected and learn to deliver the goods. There is nothing like the fear of public disapproval for people to do their jobs properly and nothing like the accolade of public respect as an incentive for the same people to do the best they can.
J. Borg
Nov 23rd 2009, 12:46
should Dr. Gonzi respect Arch. Joe Falzon, who is effectively striving to do his duty....
or does Dr. Gonzi expect us the respect MEPA, its decisions, and ultimately himself...for ruining our environment?
mario gellel
Nov 23rd 2009, 10:57
The PM can criticise or in my words crucify anybody that speaks out his opinion even when they present facts and glorify only those that are in line with his political opinion.
And if he has proof that somebody tried to sabotage the power station, he should make it public and not do like when somebody said that he knew who killed Karen Grech and Raymond Caruana for political gain.