Video | 'I have slept well' Gatt tells media on Labour's call for his resignation

‘I have slept well’ says transport minister Austin Gatt when replying to reporters on Labour’s parliamentary motion that calls for his resignation over the public transport reform fiasco.

30 September 2011, 12:00am
by Miriam Dalli

1 min read

Adds statement by the Labour Party at 17:21

The Labour Party has hit out at Austin Gatt’s comment, decrying it as “arrogance without limits”.

“If the Minister is sleeping well, not the same can be said about the children, youths and workers who have to wake up earlier in the morning to go to school or work.”

The PL’s communication office added, “a Minister of integrity would worry for each person who is suffering because of his mistakes.”

It added that a minister who took a €500 increase per week would try and do everything in his power to amend to the fiasco which is the public transport reform.

Earlier:

Austin Gatt was questioned by reporters on the Labour motion on public transport reform and change-over to Arriva.

Gatt said that he will reply to the motion in parliament, but also commented that he “slept well” the day the motion was presented.

Presented by Labour MP Joe Sammut, the motion called for the House to condemn government its handling of the public transport reform into the hands of Arriva.

Labour has long been criticising government over the transport reform, attributing its “failure” to the “government’s lack of planning and confusion”.

The motion condemned the lack of effective planning which led to chaos, while it demanded the publication of all contracts related to reform, including the consultancy ones.

It also asked for the resignation of Gatt, the political appointees and the heads at Transport Malta who were in charge of planning the reform.

Miriam Dalli joined MaltaToday.com.mt in 2010 becoming assistant editor f...

More from Miriam Dalli

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Tajba Thor! Austin Gatt ilu rieqed minn mindu lahaq ministru. Flus dehlin awtomatikament u xejn ma jonqsu.

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mr. bombastic you will soon be no more ,you will only be remembered for your incompetence, arrogance , corruption and one fiasco after another, .You are by far the worst minister in the worst government ever.Start packing your bags the time is fast approaching.

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Such a statement conferms that his conscience is nowhere to be seen. What do you expect from an Arrogant person like Austin Gatt .

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HOW LOW CAN YOU GET. This means that Austin doesn`t give a damn about the Maltese people,as long as his pockets are full everything is OK. PN supporters you must be PROUD of this COWBOY.

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What do you expect from this pompous politician. I think he is the most hated person in Malta. Congratulations Mr. Gatt. You won the Oscar.

Luke Camilleri •

Limited in talents...but UNLIMITED IN ARROGANCE , PERKS , PAYROLL and Honoraria....and BUZOLLOTTI!

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Let's be frank, Austin has managed to do what many before him would not have touched with a long pole. But as always, people like Austin swing from one extreme to the other, from being an important asset to becoming a totally undesired liability. From managing to bring through certain necessary and vital projects, to pushing forward with the most un-necessary and costly, ''hairbrained'' ideas which the country can easily do without.

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What is said was that he is not accountable to anyone, Gonzi is his friend and the rest of the country can go screw itself. If PN supporters cared about their country, their families, their children - and especially their party - they would be the first insisting that Austin Gatt resigns to proof to themselves that this is still THEIR country and that they still live in a DEMOCRACY. The under lying principle of democracies is that no one is special and no one is above the law - but most importantly - the MOST important assumption is that VOTERS are INTELLIGENT - enough to be trusted with a vote. Unfortunately this assumption fails in Malta. The tragedy is - why would voters choose to support someone who is mocking them, enriching himself and dis-respecting them? Its truly a case of the turkeys voting for Christmas!

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Bix-xufier ma s****u ma ghandux ghalfejn ma jorqodx ghax l-ghada ser jasal tard ghax xoghol wara xemxata fuq l-istage. Dan huwa ir-ritratt tal PN bhalissa ARROGANTI

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A - Arrogant U - Unruly S - Shmuck T- Tedious I - Incompetent N - Narcissistic . G - Gross A - AntiSocial T - Tacky T - Tawdry

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Who wouldn't sleep well, with an extra €500 a week and a driver. Enjoy it while it lasts, you'll soon be history.

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With such a disturbed and inflated ego like his, one wonders how the Hon. Minister is able to sleep at all during the night, let alone sleep well! He behaves like he is accountable to no one and nobody. He acts like he is larger than his country, his government and his party. Pity that the PN will be paying o dearly for such despicable behavior even though the bullies might not be presenting themselves again for the people's judgement comes next elections time.

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Typically arrogant!

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That's the problem!

Krista Sullivan •

MHUX BILFORS JORQOD JEKK GHANDU 500EURO PLUS FIL GIMGHA MINN FUQ DAHAR IL POPLU

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Wara raqda helwa li kellek mur irringrazzja lil Mintoff u A,Sant ghax huma tawk dal poter u arroganza li int imzejjen bijhom! Prosit Sur Tony Vella

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I am a labour supporter but asking for resignations is a waste of time and simply gives bad press to the PL. The best way to win over the floating voters is to give concrete suggestions in how they would improve things. . Its true a lot of people are suffering with the buses but I have been nothing but impressed (being selfish). .

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I hope you are having sweet dreams dear AG in your good sleep. You seem to daydream whilst awake of a PN hold on government for the next twenty years. I wonder whether you enjoy taller dreams at night. Perhaps you should create a lovers of sleep cross party club in Parliament with you and AS as founding members. Judging from the sight of nodding and yawning attention some of the MPs who bother to attend parliament sessions give to the proceedings I am sure you will recruit an eminent list of sleep lovers.

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Where are the past Dictators? Whats happening to the present Dictators? Every dog has its DAY!

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Wara ruxxmata delitti makabri , anke il-kapijiet tal-MAFIA jorqdu minghajr ma jhabblu rashom . Mhux hekk Sur Wistin ?

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Of course he sleeps well. He is driven to work and around on a luxurious car and not on an Arriva bus which never arrives. How can he resign when his face and his a... are the same.

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I prefer to sleep and rest my mind on a pillow than on a smelly pile of EURO

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I suggest that the PL should stop asking Austin Gatt to resign! With him in the cabinet there has been a lot of fiasco, since the divorce issue and afterwards with the disgraceful Arriva bus service. Indeed you should stay on Dr. Gatt, cause with all your silly and tough(not at all) words your are making the moderates PN followers to abbandon GonziPN, and maybe after the next elections the PL would be so grateful towards you!

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Ghandna certu kliem fil-lingwa Maltija, kollha kliem vulgari jew bil-Malti pur li, minbarra s-sinjifikat ovvju taghhom, ghandom tifsira aktar wiesgha u li tiddeskrivi l-karattru ta' certi nies. Per ezempju l-kelma "ahdar" tfisser mhux biss il-kulur ahdar imma wkoll certi karatteristici ta stmerrija tal-karattru meta tiddeskrivi bniedem bhala "ahdar". Fil-kaz ta' sehibna Austin Gatt il-kelma li tigini f'rasi fiha hames ittri u tibda' bl-ittra h.

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Ovja li jorqod Mr Agostino l cowboy....li mportanti li diehla fil but tieghu il 500 euro zieda fil gimgha...pero l kuxjenza mhux rieqda....ghax hlief frejeg ma ghamilx

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What do you expect from such arrogant man. Besides non on the Governmen's side know anything about the word RESIGNATION. But the call for it from the other team that is the Labour Party. PN the birds are flying away that's why you stopped us from bird trapping but our bigest catch will be when we cast our vote in the next General Election. We will say Bye, Bye PN.

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Austin Gatt would do a big favour to the PL by NOT resigning! He is an incalculable liability. Keep it up Gatt :) :)

Esteban Hernandez •

malta ada trid tohlok besqa dil kwalita!!!!!!!!! ma baqalekx wisq titkesah!!!!!!!!!

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beqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq wistin gatt

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Any politician in Europe who has to face a motion against him asking for resignation due to a fiasco has had a hard time to sleep well the night before, but not Austin who is sure that his place is secure and as long as arrogance prevails there is no need for sleepless nights. PN supporters see who represents you Arrogance and Arrogance

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Since Gatt did not resign over the BWSC case why would he resign over a lesser issue? The PN has only one seat majority and Lawrence Gonzo does not have the guts and the self-respect to make his ministers toes the line, even at the risk of losing his seat. He is no Alfred Sant. That is why Gatt can get away with being so arrogant. He would not have dared to act like this if Fenech Adami was still in charge.

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of course this arrogant cousin of Loo Bondi will always sleep well. He knows NO ONE can take the only thing important to him, namely his position. .. as YET !! ROLL on the ELECTIONS ... the NEW BEGINNING .... our only hope out of this M U R K that is GonziPN governance.