'Army is being taken over by government' – PN

Opposition MPs Beppe Fenech Adami and Jason Azzopardi today accusd the Labour government of "taking over" the army for its own political gain.

"The Armed Forces of Malta no longer serves the country's interests but is being used by the government to serve its own political expediencies," Nationalist MP Jason Azzpardi said.

Addressing the press in Valletta, the PN deputy leader for party affairs Beppe Fenech Adami pointed out that in the past the country "paid a very high price" in order to regain its trust in the country's security forces, however the Labour government was "undermining" this trust, he said.

The two MPs underlined the shortcomings in the promotion process within the armed forces, where four majors were promoted to lieutenant colonel, the third highest rank in army last week.

This had nothing to do with political allegiances but these promotions were being criticised because they involved "militant and staunch Labourites," Azzopardi said.

Describing the promotion process as "shameful," Azzopardi said that members of the home affairs minister's secretariat,  including the deputy chief of staff Ramona Attard,  and a customer care officer, Chris Cutajar, sat on the selection board.

The Opposition's home affairs shadow minister pointed out that the two were put on a par with the AFM commander and asked what qualifications the ministry's deputy chief of staff and a customer care official had with regard to the army.  

Former majors Pierre Vassallo, Mark Mallia, Jeffrey Curmi and Mark Said were promoted to lieutenant colonel last week, despite having doubtful credentials, the MPs explained.

Azzopardi said that Vassallo did not have the necessary security clearance in 2006 because of a disciplinary case in 1986 when he was kicked out of the police force.

Asking whether the Labour government was in cahoots with the Security Service, Azzopardi asked whether the decision to issue the clearance was the result of political pressure.

Lt Col Mallia was promoted despite being a major for one year, Azzopardi noted, adding that earlier this year, the Labour government had amended the promotion process criteria and cut the required two year experience to one.

Describing Lt Col Jeffery Curmi's as being a very close friend of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's family, Azzopardi said that the former major had been promoted ahead of 12 other candidates despite not undergoing the strenuous training as other army officers had.

Moreover, the Nationalist MP said that Lt Col Mark Said, who Azzopardi said taken leave without permission to attend the Prime Minister's swearing in ceremony in Valletta in march, had also been promoted ahead of another 12 candidates. 

Fenech Adami insisted that Labour' had shattered its promises of meritocracy and said that the promotions were the result of "political interference." 

Moreover, the Labour government had replaced the former police commissioner John Rizzo, who enjoyed respect across the political divide with Peter Paul Zammit, who Beppe Fenech Adami said was a "Labour activist."

Asked whether previous Nationalist administrations interfered in the army and police, Azzopardi said that this never happened under the previous government. "There certainly was no interference in the Security Services before 2013 and there were no political appointees on interview boards," Azzopardi said.