Gonzi gives ‘full backing’ to PN general secretary

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday gave his “full backing” to the decisions made by the Nationalist Party’s general secretary, Paul Borg Olivier over the removal of former Sliema mayor Nikki Dimech.

Dr Borg Olivier had come under fire for the way he handled the Sliema council affair, following accusations that he “forced” PN councillor Sandra Camilleri to sign a motion of no confidence in Mr Dimech. Ms Camilleri has since resigned from the party.

Speaking in an interview on the party’s radio station, Dr Gonzi said the PN was consistent in its belief that politicians who admitted wrongdoing to the police should resign from their position so as to give full freedom to the authorities to investigate.

Since Mr Dimech refused to resign, the party had no choice but to move a motion of no confidence, which, regrettably, the Labour Party abstained from voting on, Dr Gonzi said.

“I expected the whole country to be unanimous in this case. But it seems that in our country there are people who are not genuinely supporting our fight against corruption, abuse and wrongdoing. Other people might have a skewed agenda but ours is straight and based on principles,” Dr Gonzi said.

He pointed out that if one of the six remaining PN councillors in Sliema happened to be on a delayed flight, the motion would have been defeated, so the PL had effectively defended someone who had admitted corruption.

The Prime Minister focused his argument on the fact that Mr Dimech told the police he had solicited a bribe. Mr Dimech, who is pleading not guilty to charges of bribery and reviling a public officer, insists he had been coerced in signing the police statement where he made the declaration.

Dr Gonzi said the big contribution of local councils should not be forgotten because of the prevailing turmoil, primarily happening because of changes in the system of checks and balances. Executive secretaries of local councils were no longer answerable to their councils but to the government, so they could now flag wrongdoings without having their job threatened. This was essential for transparency and accountability, both key factors since councils were using taxpayer’s money.

He did not agree with those debating whether local councils should be free of political parties. “Political parties are active in local government in every country of the world. Malta should not be an exception,” he said, adding that political parties were essential to field candidates for elections, draw up manifestos and provide organisation to the system.

Dr Gonzi was also asked about Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s demand for €5 billion a year from the EU so that his country could continue stopping irregular immigrants from leaving the Libyan coast.

The Prime Minister said he strongly supported the need for the EU to continue talks with Libya and reach an agreement for Brussels to provide funds to facilitate Tripoli’s job of border control. “But I will not get into the merits of how much the EU should give,” he said, adding, however, that Malta would do all it could to help the negotiation process.

Dr Gonzi said an agreement between Italy and Libya had effectively saved thousands of lives by preventing migrants from making the treacherous journey by sea. He stressed the need to protect the human rights and dignity of the migrants, adding that recent reports showed the situation in Libya was not as bad as had been portrayed.

Dr Gonzi said that during a brief visit to Libya last week he attended a meeting between 10 Mediterranean countries, the 5+5 meeting, where it was agreed that Malta should host a meeting for heads of states of such countries in the near future.

Reacting to the Prime Minister’s comments, the PL said Dr Gonzi was an example of double standards because he still defended the “corrupt” BWSC contract, his unethical ministers and the tactlessness of Dr Borg Olivier.

“This is the same GonziPN who sees nothing wrong in one of his main ministers being given a gift to fly on a private jet to watch a football match. And for his general secretary to go on a yachting holiday with a party benefactor who was given the contract for the construction of the BWSC power station,” the PL said.