A motion of no confidence in Sliema mayor Nikki Dimech was presented at the end of a local council meeting last night.
The motion was presented by Nationalist councillor Cyrus Engerer and was signed by all six PN councillors. The other five are deputy mayor Johanna Gonzi, Patrick Pace, Yves Bobby Calì, Julian Galea and Edward Cuschieri. Dr Gonzi and Mr Pace were not present at the meeting because they are away.
In the motion, the PN councillors said that, in view of his admission to the police that he had solicited a commission from a contractor, Mr Dimech’s position within the council was no longer tenable. They said the locality deserved better.
Thus, they moved a vote of no confidence in the mayor and proposed Dr Gonzi to be appointed mayor instead.
Dr Gonzi polled the second highest number of votes in the last council election in Sliema.
By law, it is up to the mayor to set a date for such a motion to be discussed by the council. Such a discussion has to take place between five and 10 days from when a motion is presented.
It was very much business as usual at yesterday’s council meeting, at least until the motion was submitted. The councillors discussed pending payments, some of which dated back to February.
Earlier in the day, Mr Dimech, accompanied by councillor Sandra Camilleri, went to the PN headquarters in Pietà to resign from the party pledging to remain on the Sliema council as independent members.
Mr Dimech said PN general secretary Paul Borg Olivier acted as judge, jury and executioner and Ms Camilleri accused him of threatening her.
Mr Dimech said he was resigning from the party notwithstanding having already been expelled by the PN a week ago. He said that two unanswered e-mails to party leader Lawrence Gonzi was a “clear sign” that he was not wanted within the party.
He said it was with deep regret that he felt “constrained” to resign but declared he would remain “loyal” to the party’s principles, “although it is clear that such principles and convictions are not as cherished by other people as within the party itself”.
Clearly referring to Dr Borg Olivier, he said he was not feeling comfortable representing the party “under the present administration”.
The 33-year-old mayor reiterated that his resignation “should not be construed or (mis-) interpreted as an admission of any wrongdoing”.
In his resignation letter to Dr Borg Olivier he wrote: “I reiterate my complete innocence and my resentment to the fact that you personally have chosen to act as my accuser, prosecutor, judge and hangman all at once and to pass summary judgment upon me in spite of the principle of presumption of innocence.”
He said he had “freely” decided to resign “in order to be at complete liberty to defend my name and reputation.... and be in a better position to guard myself from such harm, which might befall me, especially that directed at me from behind my back.”
Ms Camilleri too had a go at Dr Borg Olivier in her resignation letter, accusing him of threatening her to sign a motion of no confidence in Mr Dimech or else get reported to the police.
“My resignation is solely and exclusively motivated by the fact that you have forced me to sign a motion of no confidence in Sliema mayor Nikki Dimech against my volition and threatened to report me to the police as Dimech’s accomplice,” she said in her resignation letter.
“My sense of dignity and self-respect do not allow me to do otherwise but to tender my resignation,” she said, while insisting, in comments to the media after tendering her resignation, that she “was, is and will remain a Nationalist”.
Ms Camilleri pledged to remain on the council “for the well-being of Sliema residents as their legitimately-elected representative”.
Speaking to journalists outside the party headquarters, Ms Camilleri said she believed Mr Dimech “as he has always been a very good, sincere and straight colleague”. She promised to vote against any vote of no confidence which may be presented against him, adding she believed Mr Dimech had been framed.
Ms Camilleri vehemently denied sticking up for Mr Dimech when her attention was drawn to a statement he reportedly made to the police that he had solicited a commission from a contractor. Mr Dimech is insisting he had signed this statement “under duress” after having been deprived of his asthma inhaler, leading him to suffer an anxiety attack.
“I cannot believe what is going on. He was always sincere with me. Is there a court case? Was he considered a criminal? Is he guilty? I will not sign anything unless I know he is guilty. People want him and voted for him and he has a right to be there. We have to work as a team, without backstabbing,” she said adamantly.
The widely-expected resignations leave the Sliema council with an independent mayor for the first time in history and with one independent councillor, six PN councillors and three representing the Labour Party.
The PN councillors can still manage to scrape through the motion of no confidence in Mr Dimech and appoint Dr Gonzi as mayor.
In a comment on timesofmalta.com, Mr Dimech’s father, Manuel, said Dr Borg Olivier has “mishandled” the situation at the Sliema council because of his “arrogance” and his “desperate determination” to get his son out of the PN and the local council.
“You have caused the credibility of the PN to suffer and I am sure this will affect future elections (general or local council)... A big well done to Nikki (my son and hero) and Sandra Camilleri,” he said.