Speaker Anġlu Farrugia yesterday suspended the sitting in Parliament for four minutes following a shouting match between government and Opposition MPs.
The incident came after Opposition Whip David Agius hotly protested to off-microphone remarks he said he had heard Minister Konrad Mizzi address to the leader of the Opposition: “Mur inħeba” (Go hide yourself).
He asked the Prime Minister if he condoned such remarks.
The whole 30 minutes of question time was taken up by Gozo Minister Anton Refalo rebutting repeated allegations that private works were done under his ministry in the past two years. The allegations were made by Beppe Fenech Adami, who was helped by Chris Said (both PN).
Dr Fenech Adami said many quarters had made allegations over recent weeks of works done in private using government equipment, human resources and materials over Dr Refalo’s tenure. In his opinion Dr Refalo had not replied to these allegations.
Dr Refalo said he had taken up a half-hour adjournment speech in the House to reply to each allegation. He had not had time to cover the last three but had already reserved more time to do so.
At one point Dr Said asked Dr Refalo to categorically deny that his ministry had carried out any works in private in Gozo over the past two years.
Dr Refalo pointedly said nobody could judge him by their standards, particularly if they lived in glass houses. In all this time of throwing mud they had never felt the need to report the allegations to the police.
Dr Said interjected that statements by the Gozo Ministry trying to justify the works in private had confirmed the allegations. Who was telling the truth?
Dr Refalo said Dr Said had better check out his own family members. How much government cement had been issued for private works before general and local elections under the Nationalist government?
David Agius hotly protested what he said he heard Mizzi address to Busuttil: ‘Mur inħeba’ (Go hide yourself)
Whatever had been done by his ministry had been in the public interest, he said.
When the House reconvened after the brief suspension, the Speaker said members were expected to set good examples by their behaviour.
A calmer Mr Agius again drew the Speaker’s attention to Dr Mizzi’s comments. Such comments should be stopped, but the Speaker had acted as if nothing had happened, he said.
Government Whip Godfrey Farrugia said MPs on both sides must be more serious about sensitive issues, even when addressing one another.
Answering a supplementary question by Labour MP Anthony Agius Decelis on what had happened about the San Lawrenz Road saga, Dr Refalo said this had been a typical example of the rampant scandal under the Nationalists.
Contractors would quote low amounts to ensure they won the tender, then start kicking up all sorts of problems to make the bill higher, in this case triple.
A third of the road’s expenses now have to be paid from national funds, because the TEN-T funds have run out. Yet, nobody seems to be accountable. To further allegations, Dr Refalo said that there has been no concrete platform built at any Marsalforn restaurant.
The Mepa-sanctioned work was part of the masterplan for Marsalforn and Xlendi, and the ministry has not worked at any restaurant but laid a pavement along the far side of the road so that all restaurant owners can place tables on encroachment.
With regard to the alleged construction of a room and walls at a private property at Ix-Xatt l-Aħmar, Dr Refalo said that an owner had been receiving regular compensation from the government for damage to his fields from raw sewage coming out from a manhole.
The ministry has now built a rubble wall and the payments to the owner have stopped.