Enemalta’s human resources manager was lying to employees and telling them a Labour government would have them fired, Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat alleged yesterday.
It is unacceptable to have a Home Affairs Minister use his role as Leader of the House to prevent a vote of no confidence in him being taken
The direct broadside against Anthony Bonello came midway through Dr Muscat’s speech at a PL activity in Qawra. He went on to accuse Finance Minister Tonio Fenech of “instigating and coordinating” this and other similar “lies” within government entities.
“I hold Mr Bonello and others like him personally responsible for lies such as these, and am telling all Enemalta workers that their minds will be at ease with a new government.”
When contacted, an audibly shaken Mr Bonello said he had not heard the allegations. “This is news to me. I’m gobsmacked. I don’t know of anything,” he told The Times. He declined to comment on the claims or say whether he would be challenging them in court.
Later, he issued a statement saying: “Further to the comments by Labour party leader Dr Joseph Muscat during his speech at Qawra, I categorically deny ever making such a statement, or trying to influence or lie to Enemalta employees about their job security and future with the corporation”.
The Nationalist Party retorted with a list of PL stalwarts who had been quoted denigrating Nationalists, from Jason Micallef to Charles Mangion and Justyne Caruana. “If Dr Muscat were Prime Minister, he’d reward these people with posts where they’d be deciding on people’s lives,” a PN statement said.
Dr Muscat also used his Qawra platform to call for Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici to temporarily step aside as Leader of the House and stop blocking a vote of no confidence in his ministry from being taken. “It is unacceptable to have a Home Affairs Minister use his role as Leader of the House to prevent a vote of no confidence in him being taken. Just look at the state of our parliamentary democracy,” Dr Muscat said, pouring scorn on the fact that Parliament had only taken a solitary vote in the past three months.
A government reply was soon forthcoming, saying that urgent parliamentary discussions concerning European-wide economic difficulties had to take priority. All motions tabled in Parliament would be added to Parliament’s agenda and debated, the statement said.
The Opposition Leader spoke at considerable length about the need to ensure workers’ rights were respected. Companies employing workers under precarious conditions had no business being granted government contracts, he said.
Repeating his mantra that “our doors are wide open to anyone who wants to join our movement”, Dr Muscat said a PL administration would reform public procurement practices to ensure small businesses could also compete for government tenders.
The Opposition Leader also squeezed in a swipe at Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi. “He says he now wants to listen to people. But a leopard doesn’t change his spots,” Dr Muscat argued.
First they say they want to listen, but then they argue that their policies are right and they just need to communicate better. Rather than listen, they want to go into people’s kitchens to speak, he charged.