Muscat says PM disregarded Parliament

Labour leader Joseph Muscat yesterday said the Prime Minister disregarded Parliament when he asked Richard Cachia Caruana to stay on for a few more weeks.

At a public meeting in Qrendi, Dr Muscat said there were capable people, including some from PM Lawrence Gonzi’s party, who could take on Mr Cachia Caruana’s job.

Mr Cachia Caruana, Malta’s EU envoy, was forced to resign on Monday after Parliament approved an Opposition motion calling for his removal.

Dr Gonzi accepted his resignation but asked him to stay on for “a few more weeks” until a replacement was found.

“I hope Dr Gonzi is not considering taking on the job of permanent representative himself like he did with the home affairs ministry,” he said.

The jibe was a direct reference to Dr Gonzi’s decision to absorb the home affairs ministry in his portfolio after Parliament ousted his former minister, Carm Mifsud Bonnici, three weeks ago.

Dr Muscat took the Prime Minister to task over his interpretation of Monday’s vote. “Even after having heard Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando declare his vote, Dr Gonzi insisted the motion was also accusing him of betraying the country and of having broken the law. Now that Parliament has approved the motion, it stands to reason that according to Dr Gonzi’s interpretation, his position is no longer tenable.”

Dr Muscat refuted the argumen by government exponents that Parliament had set a very dangerous precedent when it held to account a civil servant like Mr Cachia Caruana.

“Mr Cachia Caruana was not any other civil servant. He was a political appointee and any comparison with civil servants is an insult to the civil service,” he said.