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‘Honoraria may cost Gonzi his government’
As Labour presents a parliamentary motion to condemn parliamentary honoraria increase, Nationalist MP Jean Pierre Farrugia hints that the issue may unseat Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi at the next election.
11 May 2011, 12:00am
Karl Stagno-Navarra
Karl Stagno-Navarra
2 min read
Nationalist MP Jean-Pierre Farrugia believes that the way government and Cabinet has handled the Honoraria increase may cost the PN the next election.
Speaking to MaltaToday, the outspoken Floriana MP stressed that the whole issue surrounding the manner Cabinet increased MPs’ honoraria in 2008, “is a recurring problem for government which will eventually cost the PN the next election.”
Farrugia said that the recent revelation that Cabinet ministers have also added a four-fold increase in duty allowance to their package “has confirmed that the problem they [Cabinet ministers] have created simply won’t go away and will continue to haunt until the next election.”
“This is no more a parliamentary issue but a Cabinet matter that needs to be resolved,” Jean-Pierre Farrugia said, adding that “unless the controversial decision is reversed, the electorate will remain unforgiving.”
Farrugia stressed that an independent body must be set up to “address and revise” the situation which has remained unresolved within the House Business Committee.
“The ball is squarely in the Cabinet’s court and nobody else’s. They wanted it, they got, now they handle it...” Farrugia insisted.
The Floriana MP claims that his parliamentary colleagues were not aware of the fourfold increase in the duty allowance awarded to Cabinet members.
Late last year, Farrugia was highly critical of his government over Cabinet’s decision for ministers to take a “double pay” by also allowing them to receive an honoraria as MPs.
But it turned out that the honorarium Cabinet had given itself, was far higher than the one received by MPs, meaning that ministers are now receiving almost €500 per week, more than they received before the Cabinet decision in May 2008.
Opposition leader Joseph Muscat was also entitled to his MP’s honorarium, apart from his salary, and a higher duty allowance. However, he never received these additional payments and when the controversy erupted.
Muscat had pledged to forward the money to a charitable fund set up by the party.
But while pressure continues to mount on government to rectify the clear discrepancies in the ministerial pay packages and those of the Speaker and the Opposition leader, who have both been denied due pay rises, Jean-Pierre Farrugia claims that there seems to be no political will from either government or Cabinet to rectify the situation.
“They could attempt to rectify it, but I believe it is too late...” he concluded.
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it didn't happen.
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@Briffy
Don't you ever get fed up of playing the same song? Always trying to impress us with figures and trying to make us believe that we are living in Paradise? Get real and face reality!! No wonder we're in this mess because the government and supporters like you are like ostriches....BURYING YOUR HEADS IN THE SAND!!! As regards Joseph Muscat being a Prima Donna, I'd prefer a Prima Donna than two faced politicians pretending to be holier than thou!! You also said that people leading a better life than a decade ago, ask the people that have been made redundant in spite of the promises and signed letters sent by Gonzipn. Halluna tridu!!!!!
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Dominic Chircop....All I see around me is overweight and even obese people, surely they are not suffering from starvation. BMWs, Mercedeses, Audis, Jags, Lexuses, Alfas, MGs - though mostly used, they all seem to be in good shape. New cars abound, the roads are chocful of cars. Nobody is wearing tatty clothes. Everybody is smartly dressed, ladies are all made-up and even their nails and hair are done. Smokers still manage to spend over Eur1 600 a year on cigarettes - money up in smoke. Lotto offices are full on Wednesday and Saturdays - people spend Eur20 a week at least on gambling. Schoolchildren are dressed well, have new satchels each year; they are always munching. So where is the ones in financial straits? It's obvious that most people the world spend what they earn - this is the situation all over the developed world. Only those whose income is at least twice the average wage ( i.e. those earning above Eur30 000) can afford to indulge in luxuries; again this is the situation in the UK, Italy, France, Germany, the US. Education and health services are free. Homes are well furnished with cookers, microwaves, TVs, fridge, freezer, washing machine, dishwasher, ACs, carpets, smart furniture. And all families live in a 2/3 bedroom apartyment or maisonette, or townhouse.What more do we need? But I guess that people always grumble and for the Maltese, moaning and groaning is a national pastime.
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Dear briffy@maltanet,
You seem to be implying that we Maltese are the most better off in Europe. As you seem to be insinuating that we, the great unwashed, do not know how to interpret statistics, could you enlighten us and explain to us what these figures mean, on a PURCHASING POWER PARITY BASIS ?
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NSO EU; I expected you to know these figures by heart; the figures I gave are called economic indicators. I suggest you look them up in the EU statistics websites and compare the figures for Malta with those of other EU member states and you can see for yourself how lucky we are. On top of these indicators we have full democracy something which Malta only had under nationalists administrations, under Boffa's and Sant's Labour government. Mintoff destroyed the Labour party, Sant tried to revive it but was hindered by Mintoff. Muscat blows hot and cold, he is too immature amd is bringing old characters back to the fold, in an effort to attract the Mintoffian votes. His aim is to become PM before he turns 40 to emulate Mintoff and Borg Olivier. He is ambitious but a prima donna with no voice
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briffy@maltanet: and the source is...
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Here are the figures: Vehicles >300 000, practically 1 car per person >18; TVs > 300 000 > 2/ household; PCs 80 000 > .6/ household; Mobile phones 250 000 1/ adult; min wage Eur8 000 p.a. average wage Eur15 000 p.a. GDP per capita >$20 000; Cash in local banks Eur10 billion; loans by locals to the Exchequer Eur5 billion; Budget deficit - 3.5% of GDP; national debt 78% of GDP practically all local loans; unemployment >5% almost full employment. Quality of life: highest ever. What else do you want? Utopia?
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So this is a U-TURN to a u_TURN? Good thing summer is coming. This guy must look good in flip-flops.
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briffy@maltanet: Why don't you give us figures first as you made statements...hence may I ask you based on what? your observations? Then I'll give you a few figures myself...no problem.
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@ vcas: give me figures not fairytales
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briffy@maltanet: I've always wished to fly to the moon. Tell us, how does the world look from up there?
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Ma nistax nifhem għaliex il-Maltin mhux qed jaqblu li l-Ministri jkollhom żewġ salarji !
Uħud minnhom, bħal Lawrence Gonzi, Tonio Borg u Tonio Fenech, jirqilhom ukoll it-tielet salarju.
Dak ta' Mullah !!!!!
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nahseb issa taghfsu qalbu gonzi u jnaqqas l onorarja!
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I believe that what interests people most is whether they are leading a better life today than a decade ago. It is an undeniable fact that today the majority are much better off than they were a decade ago. Just look around you and see for yourself. People are better dressed, go abroad more often, there are more cars on the road - new cars and luxury cars are to be seen everywhere, things like large TVs, PCs, laptops, ipods, ipads, mobile phones are taken for granted just like radios, notebooks, pencil and paper were a generation ago. Though fuel and energy prices went up substantially, people's incomes rose even higher; fuel bills represent a mere 6% of the minimum wage and 4% of average earnings; utility bills represent just 12% of the min wage and a mere 8% of average earnings. People spend more on cigarettes in a year than what they spend on petrol/diesel, or utility bills. Air conditioners, solar water heaters and photovoltaic cells are practically everywhere. Notice the number of children who go to state schools and who are taken and picked up by parents driving new smart cars. This was unheard of two decades ago. Unemployment is at an all-time low, and jobs are available for the qualified and the skilled. Traning courses are in place for anybody who wants to improve their skills. And the economic climate has always been good when nationalists are in government; something which no labour government in Malta has managed to achieve since Boffa's fall. These are the things that people are interested in; whether MPs have a salary of Eur40 000 or Eur80 000 doesn't affect anybody's life style. After all, whether ministers are nationalists or labourites they are all of the same ilk, they all look after themselves first and foremost. All politicians tend to be arrogant, they all speak with different tongues at different times.
Joseph Sant •
Right, if you think the motion offers no solution then we, the people, expect you to present an emendment to the motion in a way that makes it meaningful and really addresses the problem and then you are expected to vote for it. Failing that what you said today is just hot air.
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Il-mozzjoni tiffoka fuq ghaliex ma hax l-onorarja l-Kap tal-Oppozizzjoni ( u l-Ispeaker prezenti ) li ga ghandhom salarju sostanzjali mill-istess istituzzjoni li fuq inizjattiva tieghi ffrizat il-pagi tal-MPs kollha kif wara kollox gara fid-dinja kollha f'krizi ekonomika. Li Kabinett zghir kemm hu zghir jithallas daqshekk aktar jibqa' ma jinzilx tajjeb man-nies izda l-mozzjoni ma toffri l-ebda soluzzjoni.
Jean Pierre Farrugia
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JPF, either you shut up or stand up and be counted. No point in spewing words in the wind. Another thing mate, if you think you can fill in Gonzi's seat after he steps down better take a lesson from Popeye first.
Joseph Sant •
Dr Jean Pierre Farrugia .... bla bla bla and more bla!.
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Li jghod issa x'se jghamel Jean Pierre Farrugia meta l-mozzjoni tigi ghal-vot fil-parlament. est jivvota FAVUR il-mozzjoni jew isib xi skuza biex Gonzi ma jitlifx il-vot ?!
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proset hey JPF, allura jekk il PM jerga jibdielu , il-poplu ghandu jinsa? U leeeee lollllllll
imma kemm ma tifilhux tipruvaw taghddu z-zmien bin-nies.
Possible li l-maggoranza tan nies- ha tibqa tibla kollox?
RESIST OR SERVE .
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trollface, l elezzjonijiet dejjem gew decizi mil floaters, mhux mil iffissati. Jista jkun haw miljun kumment kontra/favur il gvern/oppozizzjoni. Fl-ahhar mil ahhar, il floater jiddeciedi.
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ara xtipki il madona ton eh
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IMMA X'WICCC GHANDU DAN GONZIPN. Kif ma jisthiex jmur jitqarben. Kif dawn tac-coqqa jqarbnuh ma nafx. U ara ma jigiex xi blogger gonzipn gustuz li jghidli li din hi il-knisja ta' Kristu. Vera Mafja, Cosa Nostra, Ndragheta f'daqqa. Jien ghadni mbellah kif il-knisja lanqas kella il-guts tlissen kelma wahda kontra Gonzipn , mhux ghax selah dawk il-flus kolla minn fuq dahar il-poplu, izda ghax lanqas hamel li dawk il-flus dovuti lil Joseph Muscat jmorru ghal-KARITA. hU Haseb li Joseph se jibla l-lixka izda kollox baqa f'wiccu ghax Joseph il-flus ma jaghmlux bih u ghalek Gonzipn deher izjed ikrah f'ghajnejn il-poplu.
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Jiena serjament nistaqsi. Kemm hawn nazzjonalisti li kapaci jivvutaw PL jew jastjenu? Niddubita bil-kbir. In-nazzjonalist taghmillu x'taghmillu dakinhar tal-vot ha jtijulek
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Interestingly if the PL fails to win the next general electons we will have a serious democratic deficiency in this country. We'll have one party that cannot make it to government and/or the other than cannot loose government! Well, Japan had the same party for 50 years or so! Ironically, it is in the PN's interest to loose the next election (not Gonzi's though) so that it can re-constitute itself. After all that is how a healthy democracy functions....except in Malta (in the EU).
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I, and my family, shall do our small part in (hoping) to bring the PN down in the next G.E. The rot, of this arrogant crowd, had set in a long time ago.
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At least JPF had the guts to speak out loud.
My remarks why the raise is wrong;
a. the pay packet as per election run should never change drastically: because this means moving the goalposts during the game (incaqalqu l-lasti waqt il-loghba u niskurjaw);
b. the amount is exorbitant and more than they deserve;
c. not related to the 1.16 Euro given to the workers;
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Jekk niftakar sew (ikkoreguni) dan Jean Pierre Farrugia kien ghamel plejtu fuq iz-zeida doppja tal-PM u shabu...imma wara li l-PM tkellem meighu kien qal illi huwa sodisfatt bid-decizzjoni illi il-PM kien se jnaqaas bi ftit iz-ieda (minn 600 ghal 500). Issa rega hareg jattakka....min jaf jekk jergax jghajjatlu il-Prim biex jerga isiktu?
Jean Pierre...it is not the Honoriaria alone that will cost the PN its place in government. This is only the effect of a series of arrogant behaviours and corruption cases that has been building up over the years. These chain of events have corroded the internal core system of the establihsment and whatever Gonzi does, there is little he can do to save the day. Indeed, reversing the issue will not solve anything but make it worse because it will show how right the people were in the first place and how wrong the PN was all the way. Also, the PN should have reversed it when NOBODY knew about these increases in their salaries!
Isabelle Borg •
Same old JPF. Paroli biss.
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Another nail in the PN Government coffin. Just one of so many.
