The Gozo Red Cross branch has called on the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations to investigate why it was locked out of its offices and suspended from the Malta Red Cross Society.
“We expect action to be taken – we just want justice to be done,” former secretary Etienne Micallef said yesterday after a press conference in Gozo.
Mr Micallef, together with the other committee members of the Gozo branch, resigned en bloc on Saturday – less than 24 hours after they were locked out of their Xewkija premises by private security guards and suspended by the Malta office.
Speaking during an activity organised for Gozitan voluntary organisations, Mr Micallef said things started to go downhill for the Gozo branch nine months ago when Edward Caruana was appointed to the board of the Malta society.
Mr Micallef claimed Mr Caruana had no experience in the field or any relevant certification. “He is just a medical student... it is an insult to people who have been in the branch for 15 years,” he said.
The Gozitan branch, which has 80 per cent of the combined Malta and Gozo Red Cross force, were feeling cut off. “We have become ghosts,” he said.
Anton Portelli, former chairman of the Gozo branch, said the Gozitan members had been undermined in many ways – insulted in public and “taunted”.
Also, the Malta Red Cross had twisted the facts relating to the first aid administered by the Gozo branch in the aftermath of the Għarb fireworks explosion last September which claimed six lives, he said.
“They depicted the Gozo branch operation as illegal and as endangering the lives of people and volunteers. When the incident was discussed during a national board meeting, the committee did not want to see or hear evidence that could have clarified the matter and a report full of false accusations and untrue facts was circulated without any consultation with the Gozo branch.”
The society had also stopped all training in Gozo and failed to notify the committee members of meetings – or notified them just hours before, making it physically impossible for them to attend.
Amendments were made to the statute and approved in an annual general meeting held this month, to “anti-democratically” put the Gozitan members at a disadvantage by reducing their majority.
Mr Micallef said he did not know the reason for these decisions. “We have removed the humanitarian value of the Red Cross because of pique,” he said.
Because of the suspension, over the past couple of days the Gozo branch had already had to refuse a couple of requests for help to transport the elderly.
“I invite the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations to look into the matter, as he is duty bound by law to do,” Mr Micallef said.
When contacted for his comments, Mr Caruana said the Malta Red Cross Society would be issuing a statement within the next few days.