Dolores Cristina to call it a day

Brian Farrugia

Sep 20th 2012, 07:38

Well she lost Millions of EU money to be used for our childrens education, she was responsible.
She should have resigned then.
All I say is good bye and good ridance.

Jessica Smith

Sep 20th 2012, 00:43

All in the family, now she gets her two-thirds guaranteed pension which is charged to the consolidated fund and is always adjusted to the current Minister's salary unlike the rest of the lesser mortals who do not really get a two-thirds pension and are threatened with loss of pension. As the saying goes, "All animals are equal but some are more equal than others."

Mr J. Bonnici

Sep 19th 2012, 23:35

With all due respect I don't think the comments below do justice to Ms Cristina work over a number of years. Whilst you can agree or disagree with her policies no one can deny the improvement in the educational system in the last few years. Of course there are still pupils who lag behind but no change of minister will ever solve that.
Ms Cristina was also a minister for social policy where she successfully implemented a number of structural reforms.
Enjoy your retirement Dolores. Now it's time to rest.

Charles Massa

Sep 19th 2012, 20:04

Jidher li hadd ma jrid jkun parti minn team tellief!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Julian Borg

Sep 19th 2012, 18:57

Dolores Cristina has shown what integrity and honesty in politics is all about. She is a clear example of how all Parliamentarians should behave and carry out their duties. Unfortunately one sector of the system is continually making mountains out of molehills and chucking mud knowing it will stick. It is what they have reduced our democracy to.

Dolores Cristina never stooped to those levels and can hold her head up high having advanced our education system in no small way during her tenure.

Thank you and good luck!

Joseph Camilleri

Sep 19th 2012, 17:09

Her exit from politics is a loss for Malta's political scene as well as for the PN. She has left her mark with her quiet, honest and efficient approach. I have personally emailed her in the past a couple of times with queries and have been surprised to get a reply from her at 4 am of the following morning!

Her decision to bow out of politics after 15 years to spend time with her family says it all!

Thank you for your service!

Ronnie Callus

Sep 19th 2012, 16:15

She is not going to make so much difference to the PN party.

Ms G Portelli

Sep 19th 2012, 15:59

Good news for Maltese Education if ever it is to make any headway on reaching European targets . A non starter if ever there was one particularly regarding those awful statistics re illiteracy in Maltese 15 yr olds. Her inaction is incomprehensible.

Mr Andrew Camilleri

Sep 19th 2012, 15:47

She should resign today after the court found her guilty of unjustified dismissal on her express orders. Not only was her order illegal but we now have to pay the compensation the court ordered government to pay. When is she going to start accepting responsibility for her actions?

victor bonello

Sep 19th 2012, 15:31

After securing her pension with the additional 500 euro a week raise, she is now happily going to wash dishes.

Mr Joe Cardona

Sep 19th 2012, 15:28

Xejn ghajr ix-xamma tat-telfa jew ahjar tat-tkaxkira ghal Gonzi PN

E. Azzopardi

Sep 19th 2012, 15:08

Not particularly impressive.

Karl Consiglio

Sep 19th 2012, 14:46

She wasn't all that bad.

Pippo De Marco

Sep 19th 2012, 14:35

Good luck, Madam.

I fully understand why you wouldn't want to go down with Captain Pugwash at the helm.

Clint Cassar

Sep 19th 2012, 13:36

"Asked whether she was supporting anyone’s candidature, Ms Cristina said she always supported female candidates more than others because there was need for more women in Parliament."

That is a very sexist comments. So is Minister Cristina indicating that she used to get elected on two districts people the electorate of the 9th and 10th districts were daft enough to vote for the gender and not the quality???

Hon Cristina, I for starters have always given you my support but now I am regretting it. I always believed you were a credible, serious and hardworking person who sees beyond the colour, gender or any superfluous quality of the individual.
This time round I will vote for the candidates with the best track record.

George Camilleri

Sep 19th 2012, 13:12

as the British saying goes: "like rats fleeing a sinking ship"

Mr Clayton Mangion

Sep 19th 2012, 12:52

Everybody Does mistakes and so this was the least Minister that did . Thanks Dolores Christina & Ill hope you enjoy the time with your family !

Mr J Xerri

Sep 19th 2012, 12:42

"Her news comes a day after it emerged a successful general election bid for Euro-parliamentarians Simon Busuttil, David Casa and Edward Scicluna is likely to pave the way for Malta’s first women MEPs." and just a day before she was found guilty of unfair dismissal of a programme coordinator at Conservatorio Vincenzo Bugeja in 2010.

M Sciberras

Sep 19th 2012, 12:36

Malta still has to pay the price for this minister's failure to acknowledge, let alone deal with, those schools that consistently under perform, the high rate of 16 year olds leaving school without qualifications and the continued low participation of women in the labour force, which has part of its roots in the timing of the school day and school year, designed as they are to serve the interests of teachers, not pupils and working parents. No doubt the MUT will send her a happy memento or souvenir. Not to mention the abysmal lack of knowledge of Maltese history or civic responsibilities that are also topics woefully neglected in our school curricula
to the detriment of us all. The lack of appreciation for historical and natural environment also has its roots in our schools.

Mr Andrew Camilleri

Sep 19th 2012, 12:23

Best news of the year! She should leave from now! She has been a total disaster as a minister but the worse is that he never accepts responsibility for things that go wrong in her department when she should have know what is going on.

Mariano Scerri

Sep 19th 2012, 12:22

Grazzi Dolores ghall-kontribut tieghek lejn il-pajjiz. Nemmen li sar progress sostanzjali fil-qasam edukattiv f'dawn l-ahhar snin, u bil-kontra ta' dak li qed jinghad minn certu kummentaturi ohrajn, nawguralek ghall-futur tieghek.

Nicholas Grech

Sep 19th 2012, 12:16

Getting out before it's too late.

Jane Bartoli

Sep 19th 2012, 12:10

ABOUT TIME!!

Mr ALBERT LEONE GANADO

Sep 19th 2012, 12:09

It is a good thing that quietly the PN is withdrawing some of its older MPs and giving a chance to a younger set of new hopefuls. This is probably part of the strategy to revamp the party and give it a new image after realizing its current unpopularity. The PL of course is also proposing some fresh exciting candidates which reflect the concept of a new movement and retiring some although it still needs the experience and steadying hand at least for the first year of those who have experience in government. However one lesson learnt from the way the PM governed in this legislature with a small clique of faithful similar minded MPs is that this is a wrong model if one is to fully utilize all the political talent and avoid backbench dissent. I personally much prefer the American football model where a team fields no less than 45 players and gets players on and off the field as the current play necessitates. I trust that the first thing JM will do if elected is to make it clear that ministerial posts are not for keeps throughout the whole legislature and that he will make use and effect changes to his team of MP's based on a line up of a few key elements having backups supplemented with specialist defined roles and that MPs are called into the cabinet and switched around as the agenda demands.
Let us trust that the next parliament will have better and committed members on both sides for in my opinion this current parliament was one of the weakest since independence.

Victor Vella

Sep 19th 2012, 11:57

Malta is going to miss this person that left 37% of students attending secondary schools without any certificates. Well done!!!!!

carlos ellul

Sep 19th 2012, 11:42

I may not have agreed with all she did but she was certainly one of the nicest politicians I've ever met.

G. Attard

Sep 19th 2012, 11:38

Warrbet kemxa sew issa, mhux hekk u issa tibda tiehu il-penzjoni min fuqna. Dik hajja.

Brian Gatt

Sep 19th 2012, 11:33

Thanks Mrs Christina, I am related to one of those students that because of your incompetance missed the EU Funded courses....at least no one else will suffer beacuse of your incompetance.

Malcolm Seychell

Sep 19th 2012, 11:27

More good news for the nationalist party and Malta

Marika Fenech

Sep 19th 2012, 11:12

It's about time too Onorevoli. Because of the suspension of funds from the EU, I became unemployed at age 56. That is when you should have resigned - but no minister is accountable for his/her actions in Malta. I still wish you the best; I'm sure you will enjoy your lovely pension to the full. This is coming from a Nationalist (593453M) and you are one of the reasons why I will not vote in the coming elections.

charles tabone

Sep 19th 2012, 11:01

With the success in all educational spheres boasted of in her tenure of office (compare all EU statistics on maltese educational standards) she should have had a solid platform for another spell.

Mark. Galea

Sep 19th 2012, 10:51

one by one, the old politicians are moving on ... which is good for our country ... however, some political dinasours are still active, betting on their last chances ... to become ministers ...

Andre Grech

Sep 19th 2012, 10:42

Thanks for your work towards the country. And thanks to the great education system you will be leaving behind. Great schools, fantastic university and a record of students who continue studying after their secondary education. As all those who work and like all human beings she made mistakes but I'm sure her achievements outclass her mistakes. Those who sit pretty do nothing, spend the whole day complaining and expect manna to fall from heaven can't do mistakes. Mistakes are done by those hard workers. Once again thanks Dolores, let us hope that the person who will take over your ministry, from whichever party he or she will come from, will follow your footsteps and do a great job.

Joe A. Borg

Sep 19th 2012, 10:36

In some way or other, everyone is remembered!

Good luck Hon. Cristina and enjoy the family... and I suppose a good pension, unlike most of us!

j brincat

Sep 19th 2012, 10:27

Will soon be forgotten.

Never left a dent in politics except for that 'froga' when those students who were hopeful to go to Brussels had to miss the bus!



(jb)

A.Felex Busuttil

Sep 19th 2012, 10:24

That was a good move, better now than disappointed later

R. Balzan

Sep 19th 2012, 10:20

L-inkompetensza u nuqqas ta' nies ta' stoffa li darba gerger minnha l-Prim, tidher li qed titwarrab ftit ftit.

Mario Camilleri

Sep 19th 2012, 10:18

About time!

Quote:- The mother-of-four turns 64 in January and wants to spend more time with her family.
“I need to move on to a new phase in my life. I will miss politics, but I’m looking forward to having more time for my family and grand­children,” she said.

I think I've read and heard these similar statements before like "will now have enough time on my hands to start learning the piano". Eventually ended up not having any time at all for the piano lessons!

Carmel Garcia

Sep 19th 2012, 10:17

Yes new faces we want. The old ones from both parties, please go and hide yourselves.

anthony sultana

Sep 19th 2012, 10:08

We want to see new faces in parlament,to give us hope for the future.

Martin Mangion

Sep 19th 2012, 09:58

Coraggio fuggiamo - We shall see more of high profile people trying to disappear from the arena, before the general election which is round the corner.

William Caligari

Sep 19th 2012, 09:55

Congratulation Mrs. Dolores Cristina for not contesting the next
general election.
I'am coming from the10th district, most of my family who support PN,
they always support you with No.1 Vote. Sure that they are going to miss
you.
Enjoy your family, out of the politics.


..........................Awguri Cristina...............

Anthony Scicluna

Sep 19th 2012, 09:48

While the old Mintoffian guard stays on!

Charles W. Sammut

Sep 19th 2012, 09:45

"Asked whether she was supporting anyone’s candidature, Ms Cristina said she always supported female candidates more than others because there was need for more women in Parliament."

Immagina ragel jghid hekk! Ajma hej, kemm jghajjruh. Ara vera ma tafx tisthi.

Issa forsi l-edukazzjoni tiehu r-ruh ghalkemm il-hsara saret diga.

Anthony A. Mifsud

Sep 19th 2012, 09:40

Not being negative bu, I bet that she will end up in the MEP team. I simply wish her happiness
Just wait and see.
Ninu

mario delicata

Sep 19th 2012, 09:36

Finally at last, some good news. Good ridance !
The worst Education Minister since Agatha Barbara. To be remembered for the great fiasco of the Eduction reform in Malta and much more...