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Sliema councillors call for urgent meeting, as mayor remains unreachable
Five Sliema councillors have called for an urgent meeting to discuss a 10-day ultimatum imposed by government on the council to solve pending disagreements or face dissolution.
5 January 2012, 12:00am
Karl Stagno-Navarra
Karl Stagno-Navarra
2 min read
Former PN councillor Cyrus Engerer has questioned the motive behind the Prime Minister's delayed threat of dissolving the Sliema council.
The call is being made after Nationalist mayor Joanna Gonzi reportedly did not reply to emails or phone calls made by councillors, who reportedly sought her guidance in vein.
Former PN councillors Cyrus Engerer, Sandra Camilleri and Patrick Pace, together with Labour councillor Nicolai Gauci and Maryanne Aquilina signed the petition which has been submitted to the council's executive secretary this morning in accordance with the Local Councils Act.
Former Labour councillor Martin Debono is also in agreement with the petition, which states that "in the absence of any reply from Mayor Joanna Gonzi, we hereby invoke the law for the convening of an urgent meeting to be held tomorrow Friday to discuss the way forward after receiving the Hon. Prime Minister's letter."
Sliema mayor Johanna Gonzi has told The Times she will convene a meeting of the council probably on Monday to discuss the formal notice issued by the prime minister warning the council would be dissolved.
Speaking to MaltaToday, Cyrus Engerer expressed his surprise at the Prime Minister's ultimatum, which is based on a report regarding investigations which was were carried out many months ago, and were known more than a year ago.
"I find it odd to see how government wants to dissolve a council more than a year after the report was made known, and the persons indicated don't occupy their roles anymore within the council, including the former mayor, the former executive secretary and the former assistant executive secretary," Engerer said.
He added that it was also odd to note how government talks about indictments on councillors when any democratic society considers accused as innocent until proven guilty.
Engerer said that it is more than obvious that the PN wants to regain control over the Sliema council and ask residents to vote in a new set of councillors this March, but who will still have to be changed next year according to Law."
"The way I see it is that the PN is seeking to regain control of the council as the general election gets closer...it needs the council to be its satellite in the locality to respond to people's calls for favours (pjaciri)," Engerer said.
In a statement issued yesterday evening, government explained that following a monitoring exercise of the Sliema council's public meetings, "it was clear that there are a number of circumstances which are disrupting procedures, including lack of cooperation among councillors."
Government added that notwithstanding repeated efforts to correct the situation, these have proved to be futile. According to the director for local government, the stalemate in the Sliema council was hindering its administration.
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sought her guidance in vein----
In vein? What, is she a vampire? LOL.
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According to the director for local government, the stalemate in the Sliema council was hindering its administration.
According to who?...Is it not that the Director for local government was appointed by GonziPN?
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Din manuvra ohra tal-PN. Ftakru x'kienu ghamlu meta fl-ahhas minuta qabel ghalqu l-applikazzjonijet ghal-kandidati ghall-elezzjoni tal-Kunsilli taz-Zejtun u l-Marsa, kienu rtiraw numru ta' kandidati halli ma ssirx elezzjoni f'zewg irhula maghrufin bhala fortizzi laburisti, u b'hekk jonqos id-distakk bejn il-partiti. Din id-darba jridu li ssir elezzjoni tal-Kunsilli issa flok sna ohra, halli jkollhom xi ftit eluf ta' voti aktar milli kieku jkollhom minghajr tas-Sliema, ghax f'Tas-Sliema l-elezzjoni suppost issir is-sena d-diehla mal-elezzjoni generali !
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It’s high time these Local Councils are abolised. They are a waste of time and most of all, a waste of taxpayer’s hard earned money. Malta’s majority of road are in a mess, full of potholes, faded traffic lines, slippery zebra crossings, where lots of people have been victims, traffic accidents because of these messy state of roads. There was even at least one person who died because of this mess. (Was it Cospicua?).
What are the Sliema Councilors doing to help those who voted for them. No bus shelters, wasting hours waiting on bus stops, in the scourging sun in summer, getting drenched to the skin in winter. Walking for long distances in the same conditions mentioned, especially by our Senior Citizens because of lack of buses, timely schedules and lack of bus stops (in Sliema), because the 60 and 63 routes abolished. How many complaints were received by the Sliema Local Council regarding the Public Transport and all went on deaf ears. You, who are our Councilors in Sliema, do you now expect our vote, if there is another Local Council Election for Sliema? I simply say, let’s boycott them all.
Hans •
@peppi x let's talk about this council for now. I am sure there are other problems in other councils but the ultimatum was issued on this council by the PM.
Can Malta Today check what ex mayor Dimech thinks about the matter. It was good to get Engerer's opinion. Even though I don't come from anywhere near Sliema, but I find it disgraceful that such a big city as Sliema is in such a state of bad administaration.
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Pass a motion of no confidence in the mayor , elect a new one and you have the majority to move things foward depriving gonzipn from riding rough shod over the council. If gonziPN is not ready to go to the polls before time so should the Sliema council.gonzi's only interest is to retrieve the Sliema vote because he thinks that the Slimizi are a bunch of morons whom he can manipulate li glove puppets.
Igor P. Shuvalov •
Perhaps Government could extend its monitoring of Councils to check if lack of co-operation among councillors is limited only to this particular Council.
