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Opposition keeps up pressure on Labour’s handling of permanent secretaries
Former minister Mario do Marco says the requests for resignations during first week of administration violated normal procedure and cannot be accepted by Opposition
10 April 2013, 12:00am
Nestor Laiviera
Nestor Laiviera
2 min read
Addressing the House of Representatives during the third day of the Budget 2013 debate, former minister and Nationalist MP Mario de Marco kept up the Opposition's criticism of a number of the Labour administration's decisions that marked its first week in office.
De Marco referred to the Labour government's invitation to all government permanent secretaries to resign, as well as the resignations of the posts of BOV Chairman and the Chairman for the National Sports Council, and subsequent reappointments to the post.
In this, de Marco was reiterating much of the criticism that he levelled at the Labour government over the past weeks, during which he also set his sights on designate-head of the civil service Mario Cutajar, which de Marco described as a "hardcore party man".
He insisted that the Opposition is duty-bound to highlight such decisions and actions when they take place, adding that such actions go against the principle of the common interest. He said that while the Opposition would support any government initiative that is in the national interest, such as the 2013 Budget, it would not do likewise on issues which it felt went against the interests of the Maltese people.
"The manner in which the government requested the resignation of the civil service's permanent secretaries did not follow normal procedure and ignored Constitutional provisions," de Marco said, also referring to the posts of BOV Chairman, and that of the President of the National Sports Council. "The Opposition cannot accept the manner in which these people were removed from their posts."
The former tourism minister also took issue with the President's speech from the throne, auguring that "it was only an oversight that the speech did not contain a single sentence about tourism."
As de Marco delivered his address, Nationalist Party leader Lawrence Gonzi and deputy leader Simon Busuttil appeared to be engaged in a focused tete-a-tete on the Opposition benches.
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IMMA DAWN IN-NIES BIS-SERJETA?
insew li kien weghdu li jahtru membri tal-Boardijie tal-Gvern b'sejha pubika u qatt ma ghamluha!
INSEW IL- A.G. JGHID LI JRID BISS NAZZJONALISTI BIL-PEDIGREE MADWARU!
Jew dawn is-Segretarji Parlamentari marru jibku ghand "Id-daddy" ghax tnehhew, l'uniku "daddy" li jafu????
Kemm sar ghandhom memorja qasira!
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One must find ways to promote himself as a legitimate choice for the leadership of his party.
A disbanded party that finds itself sitting on the opposition benches, yet expects to still call the shots with the administration of the Maltese Islands.
Mr. DeMarco wake up to reality the best you can do is become leader of the opposition which will give you the right to criticise but not to govern.
The Maltese electorate has spoken and they boothed your style of a governing clique out of office
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Sure he would put pressure on the new LP government.
I wonder why he did not put pressure on MEPA who have unqualified managers who have no professional experience and are managing professional staff with more experience in their respective fields. De Marco should have investigated these when he managed MEPA and not talk garbage about PN perm secs appologists.
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One presumes that Dr Mario de Marco is more concerned that these resignations went against the interests of the PN rather than the interests of the Maltese people.
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I assume that Lawrence Gonzi was telling Simon that his record was winning just one election with a meagre 1500 votes and that he lost plenty of elections including Local Council; Members of European Parliament; and a General election with 36,000 votes. This must be the worst record for any party leader!! He will be well remembered in history.
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Hon Demarco - Tista taccetta il-fatt li jien gejt trasferit mill-Housing Authority (1987) b'sempliciment telefonata minghand id-Deputy Chairman ta dak iz-zmien "Aqbad hwejgek u dabbar rasek". Din kient l-ewwel wahda min sensiela. Dak li jaghmel haddiehor huwa hazing imam dak li taghmlu inthom huwa tajjeb? Qed nistenna risposta u jekk trid il-provi lest li nghidlek ukoll.
