Update 1: Opposition hits out at 'corrupt' power station contract
The House of Representatives has started a six-hour debate requested by the Opposition on the contract for the extension of the power station in Delimara.
The Opposition motion was moved by PL deputy leader Anglu Farrugia on behalf of Opposition leader Joseph Muscat.
The motion recognises the need for a secure power supply and for the cost of electricity to be kept within reasonable limits in the interests of industrial competitiveness and the cost of living. It also underscores the need for power generation facilities to be safe, environmentally friendly, and efficient.
It says that the process for the granting of the power station extension contract was vitiated in view of unethical behaviour by the chosen bidder BWSC, and its local representative.
The motion condemns minister Austin Gatt for having delayed the extension and for the way the new plant machinery was chosen, especially because it was environmentally harmful and would also be harmful to people's health. The new plant would also produce many tons of toxic flyash every day.
The motion says the new plant is a prototype and the people of Marsaxlokk and its environs would therefore be guinea pigs.
The choice of this plant would raise costs for the people, and the House was therefore urging the Prime minister to remedy the situation.
In his introduction, Dr Farrugia said this was a 'corrupt contract' and any vote in favour of the government in this debate would be a vote against the report of the Auditor-General about it.
Dr Farrugia hit out at the government for having selected plant equipment which would operate on heavy fuel oil instead of gas.
He said it was shameful that just one copy of only parts of the contract had been made available to MPs, and this only this morning.
Dr Farrugia said the government had not put in place legislation such as the Freedom of Information Act and a proper Whistle blower Act to weed out corruption and ensure there was transparency in public administration.
The Labour deputy leader said the PN government was not interested in the national interest but had protected its friends such as contractor Zaren Vassallo. The Enemalta chairman, an employee of Mr Vassallo, had only declared his conflict of interest after appointing the members of adjudicating committees.
Dr Farrugia said it was a disgrace that the governemnt had signed this contract even when calls for an investigation by the auditor had started.
"BWSC rode roughshod over us" Dr Farrugia said.
Administrative law and principles of good governance had been violated, Dr Farrugia said, and after such a 'national tragedy' the government should apologise to the people.
He asked if the Attorney-General had a copy of the Auditor-General's report and whether the EU authorities would investigate.
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J.Borg
May 6th 2010, 15:52
@ Mr.Martinelli
I pity you and the likes of you.......wake up man we are living in 2010!!!!!!!
We all can read and come to a conclusion. This whol thing stinks and its useless for the governemnt to try to cover up.
The PM should have taken another road and admitted that things weren't done as they should have and then talk with the opposition to find the best way out, since there is a hefty sum to pay if the contract is stopped.
Anthony Formosa
May 6th 2010, 13:34
I remember during the building of Mater Dei hospital, when someone from the PN was saying that corruption exists and can be noticed, nothing was done and nothing will be done now.
Anthony A. Mifsud
May 6th 2010, 11:07
So far all I read and hear are a bunch of excuses, No I think that there is someting fishie in this Contract.
I wish if we can cap this issue, as one day the OIL will surface
It's crazy, is this one Malta? or upstairs / downstairs?
The Company or Eni Malta should put the facts out on the table and Iron every thing out.
Tony
E.Vella
May 6th 2010, 09:58
jista l gvern juza mill energija tax xemx????? Malta tara xemx sena shieha w nkunu wkoll qedin nuzqw risors naturali. Jiena nahseb li jaqblina izjed. Bhal ma l gvern hareg bl iskemi biex in nies tat dar juzaw is 'solor heater' u is 'solar panel', ghaliex il gvern stess ma johrogx bi progett bhal dan ma dwar Malta u Ghawdex??!!!
Marsaxlokk huwa l unika villagg tas sajjieda f Malta fejn jigi rreklamet barra min xtutna. X inhu jamel il gvern biex izomm lil Marsaxlokk bhala zona turistika???
R. D'Emanuele
May 6th 2010, 15:19
good point
Paul Xuereb
May 6th 2010, 09:46
can't the PM just tear up the contract with BWSC? come on Gonzi its easier to win a legal battle with BWSC than cover up this muck
John Ebejer
May 6th 2010, 09:45
I, too, do not wish to enter into the merits of whether there was corruption or not. However, I, a simply layman, can give lots of lessons to the PM and to the Ministers about PR and about commonsense. For commonsense dicates, or rather, should have dictated to these people, that, considering the fact that electricity has become such an immensely hot potato, due to the leap in utility bills, the Government should have had the decency to involve the Opposition - and so, reach a national consensus!!! - in the granting of this contract! In that manner, all the people in the country would be `involved' and all this would not have happened. It would have been much better if a team of economists from both sides of the political spectrum, led by the appropriate Ministry, had been in charge of this whole issue. Now, things are as they are, with accusations flying from side to side, thanks to the arrogance of this stagnant Government,
Joe Grima
May 6th 2010, 09:35
To all Nationalist MPs of godwill. To those Nationalist MPs who have had the guts to state their case on other issues in the recent past and who will not be bought out by Prime Ministerial handouts: To Those Nationalist MPs who are willing to state publicly what Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando stated recently " I am first Maltese and the Nationalist". To all of these: Tonight's your night. The people of Malta and Gozo are watching you and expecting you to be on their side not on the side of corruption and confusion. Strike a blow for propriety and correctness this evening and vote in favour of the Opposition motion. Malta and your electorate will repay you with interest.
Joseph Cauchi
May 6th 2010, 12:00
@ Joe Grima,
Wishful Thinking!
JC.
J Martinelli
May 6th 2010, 13:42
@ Joe Grima
Then what, get stuck with the likes of you? No thanks.
@ Fenech MD
The NP government also went too far - re: Independence, ensuring a constant water supply, building the Delimara station, Airport, EU membership, joining eurozone, SmartCity, Lufthansa & SR Tecknik, .... You are absolutely right since previous Labour regimes had other projects in mind including burning the Times, ransacking the Courts and Curia, suppress freedom of speech and expression, beating those who 'were not 'with them', (min mhux maghna, kontra taghna) replace VAT with CET, freeze Malta's application to join the EU, wanted to devalue the Lira by 10-15%..... With such good ideas by Labour, the Maltese must be crazy to have voted for the NP five out of the last six elections!
A Galea
May 6th 2010, 15:10
Yes, we should vote to PN, since he promised over 25 years ago to close the Marsa powerstation, which is still here, closed fellenberg and all crafts schools, increased deficit, never increased the bonus (ironically introduced by labour government with leave, sick leave, women's votes and even hospital and medicines free, which now are not thanks to your beloved PN), paying over the odds for the water and electricity bills, mater dei hospital taking over 15years to be built only to be short of beds. Yes you are right, the Maltese should vote to your beloved PN!
r ferriggi
May 6th 2010, 09:25
i do not want to go into the merits if there actually was corruption in this contract.
but for sure,,,, an honest opinion:
nothing seems right in this contract. from a to z.
the PM surely,,,,,, dos not think that the maltese people are stupid and cannot realise this??
is thi the level we have stooped to? each comment by Fenech is an insult to our intelligence.
Fenech M D
May 6th 2010, 09:41
I agree with you 100%
This time the govt has gone too far.
G.Debono
May 6th 2010, 09:43
Like you, I don't know either if there was corruption, like in anything, there could've been or there could not have been.
The problem is that the Labour Party has a problem of credibility. It has howled so much in the past and then it was either found that it was baseless allegations or even when they were in government and the bus tickerting system thing, they did not find anything. Worse still there was the Laj Laj thing from their side. Who do we believe? They could be correct this time, but how do I know if this is not another messa in scena like Anglu Farrugia's allegation of votes bought last election and then it proved smoke in the air. When you cry wolf then no one believes you.
Prototypes are not necessarily bad, they are planned and designed to be the best in class and probably computer models showed what the results will be, but if it wasn't used yet then the physical result will be known later and modifications done to further improve it. It depends what level of prototype we are talking about. Most of the things we buy could be classified as prototypes.
R. Azzopardi
May 6th 2010, 09:46
R Ferriggi,
Do you know what I believe the problem is? We are so used to the opposition slinging mud and crying wolf that we are now not sure when the PL is right and when it is just trying to get political advantage.
P. Schembri
May 6th 2010, 12:19
Even if the Opposition is crying wolf again, the Auditor's report is something else, and gives ground to what the Opposition has been saying all along. As the Maltese saying goes "Il-qasba ma ccaqcaqx ghalxejn". As mentioned below about past cases, Lay Lay, Ticket machines, and many others, don't you think that by crying wolf, at least you're on alert so that it won't happen again? But as we live in Malta, and it's practically half red and half blue, what one sees right, the other side sees wrong. But in this case, I think, the Opposition was right all along. If it wasn't, then why did one did not co-operate with the Auditor? That's a question that needs answering.