‘No rift’ in Gżira council
Disagrements in council ‘typical’
The mayor and deputy mayor of Gżira have denied any long-standing rift between them, saying they have only had “debates” purely related to council work.
The Times reported on Saturday that the deputy mayor of the Labour-led Gżira council, Joe Camilleri, was asked to resign from the party due to ongoing court proceedings against him.
The report also referred to a “long-standing” rift between Mr Camilleri and mayor Chris Bonett. In a joint declaration sent to The Times for publication in terms of the Press Act, they categorically denied “that there exists or ever existed any long-standing rift between us...”
They said their disagreements were typical of any workplace “where people have diver-gent opinions on what they sincerely believe is the best way forward”.
Mr Camilleri has decided to stay on as an independent deputy mayor, breaking Labour’s majority on the council. He now sits in- between three Nationalists and three Labourites. According to the law, Mr Camilleri can stay on unless the majority of councillors vote to kick him out.
When contacted, Dr Bonett said he was not involved in the decision by the Labour Party to ask Mr Camilleri to reconsider his position. He would not give an opinion on whether Mr Camilleri should resign from the council because it was his decision to take.