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VIDEO | Joanna Gonzi is new Sliema mayor, Labour abstains on impeachment: "amazed at PN councillors," Nikki Dimech
NIkki Dimech loses no confidence vote, all PN councillors vote him out. Sandra Camilleri votes against. Labour abstains.
2 September 2010, 12:00am
Matthew Vella
Matthew Vella
6 min read
Karl Stagno-Navarra was reporting from Sliema's local council.
Sliema's mayor Nikki Dimech has lost the mayorship this evening as expected, when PN councillors used their six-man majority to elect deputy mayor Joanna Gonzi in his stead.
Dimech is facing bribery charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty, after signing a statement admitting to having asked for commissions on the award of a council contract. He reiterated his contention that he signed the admission "undue duress" due to his asthmatic condition.
PN councillor Patrick Pace, whom Dimech claimed would not vote for his impeachment, was back in Malta from a vacation in Russia, and as expected voted in favour of the motion. Dimech expressed "surprise" at Pace, Edward Cuschieri, and Yves 'Bobby' Calì's votes in favour, claiming they had previously expressed their lack of confidence in the deputy mayor.
Former PN councillor Sandra Camilleri, who resigned after claiming she was coerced by PN secretary-general Paul Borg Olivier to sign the motion of no confidence, voted against the motion. "I am a woman of principle... I vote according to my conscience."
Before the start of the meeting, Labour councillors Martin Debono, Nikolai Cuschieri - who is actually in the employ of Nikki Debono's audit firm - and Marianne Aquilina, issued a statement explaining they would abstain on the vote:
"This case is politically contaminated, and it's a fight for power with roots in the corridors of the PN headquarters, between rival candidates and their friends. We don't agree with the uncivil way Sandra Camilleri was treated, an elderly person who always acted in an exemplary way.
"We don't agree that Joanna Gonzi be made mayor, as in various occasions she showed disrespect towards the Labour minority. We don't feel it right that a few hours before this vote, the police filed charges against the mayor, with the probability that the council decision has been influenced
"We don't agree with the way things were done, and this is being said due to coincidences of how certain confidential information protected by law, was leaked from certain quarters."
During the council meeting, PN councillor Cyrus Engerer presented the motion, and explained that the absence of a waste recovery tender for Sliema had cost the council thousands in direct orders.
Speaking to MaltaToday at the end of the council meeting, NIkki Dimech described in some detail the "psychological ordeal" he endured in the past weeks and months, and also hinted at resignation from the council if he will be "unable to make the monthly meetings."
He reiterated the challenge made through MaltaToday on Wednesday, to look into his incoming cell phone traffic on the afternoon of January 20, as evidence that he did allegedly recieve a phone call from PN secretary-general Paul Borg Olivier, that led to him decide in favour of GreenMT for the collection of recyclable waste in Sliema.
He alleged that sensitive minutes of a council meeting have mysteriously gone missing, while he also said that the GreenMT contract was signed with GRTU boss Vince Farrugia, Joe Camilleri and Council Secretary without him present as CCTV camera recordings can prove.
New Sliema mayor Joanna Gonzi had no comment to make on her election, and on the way PN secretary-general Paul Borg Olivier had handled the entire saga.
LIVE COVERAGE
18:18 Joanna Gonzi leaves council. No comments all the way.
18:17 Joanna Gonzi: "I have no comments to make" on the way Nikki Dimech was treated.
18:15 "I never had a good relationship with Paul Borg Olivier [PN secretary-general]..." - Nikki Dimech
18:14 "Obviously this vote is orchestrated by the PN" - Nikki Dimech.
18:12 Scorned Nikki Dimech says he is amazed at the votes by PN councillors Yves Calì, Edward Cuschieri and Patrick Pace: "Three weeks ago they signed a declaration saying they did not have confidence in the deputy mayor. This is something ruly amazing."
18:08 Joanna Gonzi is new mayor. Labour councillors thank Nikki Dimech.
18:06 All PN votes in favour. Nikki Dimech: "I have never seen anything like this."
18:05 Motion of no confidence: Sandra Camilleri against - "I'm a lady of principle." Laboru vote against.
18:03 Removal of Sandra Camilleri signature from motion has been minuted.
18:01 Counter-reply by Cyrus Engerer. Secretary tells him he is "out of order".
18:00 PL councillor Marianne Aquiina re-reads Labour "abstention speech".
17:58 Nikki Dimech thanks for support during this "psychological ordeal".
17:57 Nikki Dimech: "Charges are baseless... I am being accused of threatening police in the statements I gave to MaltaToday interview."
17:56 Nikki Dimech: "Robert Arrigo's driver Stephen Buhagiar was not happy with his salary" - first reference to bribery charges.
17:53 The discussion right now is centered on why contracts were signed or not. Local council minutiae reminding those present why they were never called to political duty.
17:51 Nikki Dimech: "Green MT tender was signed behind my back... contract is not binding."
17:50 "Council has been paying some €14,000 in direct orders due to absence of waste tender" - Cyrus Engerer.
17:49 PN councillor Cyrus Engerer reading motion, explaining accusations against Nikki Dimech put him in a difficult position, which is why motion of no confidence is being presented.
17:48 Sandra Camilleri: asks for the signature to be withdrawn.
17:46 Mayor Nikki Dimech arrives. Councillor Sandra Camilleri greets him with short applause.
17:36 PN councillors Patrick Pace, Cyrus Engerer, Yves Calì, Joanna Gonzi, Julian Galea, and Edward Cuschieri all present for vote. Only person yet to arrive is Nikki Dimech.
17:34 Two police constables and one woman PC also present for council meeting.
17:29 Joanna Gonzi enters council premises.
17:28 PN president of local councillors' college Malcolm Mifsud (Pietà mayor) in attendance, as is also Fgura councillor Mark Lombardo.
17:18 Labour councillor Martin Debono says Labour councillors will be abstaining politically. "This case is political contaminated, and a fight for power with its rights in the corridors of the PN headquarters, between rival candidates and their friends. We don't agree with the uncivil manner Sandra Camilleri was treated, an elderly person who always acted in an exemplary way.
"We don't agree that Joanna Gonzi be made mayor as in various occasions she showed disrespect towards the Labour minority. We don't feel it right that a few hours before this vote, the police filed charges against the mayor, with the probability that the council decision has been influenced
"We don't agree with the way things were done, and this is being said due to coincidences of how certain confidential information protected by law, was leaked from certain quarters."
17:14 Uniformed police present outside Sliema local council.
17:05 Labour councillors Martin Debono, Marianne Aquilina, and Nicolai Gauci to hold press conference at 5:15pm.
Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...
Micheal Bonanno •
Li semmejt jien hu repetizzjoni ta' li qalu shabu stess kunsillieri. Ghall-informazzjoni tieghek, kburi li kellna lil Mintoff bhala leader tal-Partit u sawwar Partit b'sahhtu. Nies bhalek li qeghdin therruh minn gewwa. Iz-zmienijiet inbidlu u ahna rridu ninbidlu maghhom. Mhux qieghed inghid li l-Partit jaghmel kollox tajjeb, imma lanqas mhu se nghid li l-Partit qieghed jaghmel kollox hazin. Li nixtieq jien hu li certu decizjoni ghandhom jittiehdu. Imma f'dan il-kaz naqbel kif ittiehdet id-decizjoni fil-Kunsill ta' tas-Sliema. Kieku l-PL m'ghandux il-media kontrieh, kont naqbel mieghek fuq militantizmu, imma zgur mhux bhalissa. Qrajtha l-istqarrija li hareg il-PN? Anke ghax astjena qalaghha, ahseb w ara kieku vvota favur ND. Kieku jkomplu jghajru lill-Partit li hu komplici fil-korruzzjoni.
joseph mercieca •
Salgister hu bit-tejoriji bhal tieghek li l-Partit se jaghlaq kwart ta' seklu tellief. Tant inti brainwashed mill PN li ghalik il-militantizmu hija xi haga hazina ghaliex timplika vjolenza, dan ma hu veru xejn.Intix wiehed minn dawk li jqarras wiccu meta jissemma Mintooff? Ara x'ha u qed jiehu l-haddiem bid-diplomazija, qed jiftaqar u jitlef dak kollu li kiseb fi zmien Mintoff. Komplu mexxu l-partit bid-diplomazija u bl-astensjnonjiet u hasil ta' l-idejn u tista' sserrah rasek li fl-oppozizzjoni ha nibqghu.
Dwar Marmara nghidlek dan biss jekk dak li qed tghid hu minnu mela l-Partit ghaliex ma harigx stqarrija u elenka dawn id-dnubiet ta' Marmara'?. Ghalfejn dan il-habi kollu? Suppost il-hgieg tac-Centru Nazzjonali jfisser trasparenza.
Micheal Bonanno •
Frankie, ma nafx minn fejn iggibhom dawn it-teoriji. Mela nofs il-Partit jista jitnehha bir-raguni tieghek. Hafna ghadhom jappoggjaw lil Michael Falzon, wara Joseph Muscat. Il-folja ilha li nqalbet minn meta saret l-elezzjoni tal-Leader. Li tkompli taghfas fuq l-istess haga ghalija hi falsita' kbira. Dwara Marmara', dak messu ta' kaz ta' l-espressjoni Ngliza "Look Before You Leap". Kont taf li Marmara was in cahoots with the PN councillors? Kont taf li Marmara kien jaghmel biex jinghogob man-Nazzjonalisti? Jekk ma kontx taf dawn mela m'ghandekx ghalfejn toqghod titkellem. U hag' ohra. Il-PL sewwa ghamel astjena. Spicca zmien il-militantizmu. Illum id-diplomazija trid tahdem. U fil-kaz ta' Nikki Dimech, il-PL kien diplomatiku bizzejjed li ma waqax fin-nassa tal-PN. Jivvota kif jivvota xorta kien se jaqlaghha!
Helenio Galea •
The sad part in this story is that this basic fundamental human right has been violated. The whole campaign has been based on the pretext that the ex-mayor was guilty. This has not been proven yet. If the verdict is guilty we hope nobody comes back later to say that "the guilty verdict vindicates our actions". Sad.
Christopher Galea Scannura •
Edward Cuschieri had such a free vote that he arrived in a car driven by Julian Galea himself...but his wife arrived minutes later on foot!!!
They did not even trust him to walk in the street alone???
During the voting, his frail arm went up slowwwly after he made sure that all the others had put them up to...vot bil-kuxjenza!!! Well done Mr Cuschieri!!!
joseph mercieca •
Of course the PL gave no reason for the Marmara affair. Because the reason is petty and pathetic. You see Marmara is close to Michael Falzon and at the present that is a big no no in the PL. Further more Marmara continued to dig his grave deeper when he bragged that he wanted to be the new Lorry Sant. Now in the PL you can say that you are the devil's offspring and your mother a witch.You can say that you stole from the poor box to go whoring. It would be OK. But to be in the orbit of Michael Falzon and (may God forgive him) and say that he wanted to emulate Lorry Sant, well that is unforgivable in today's PL infact tantamount to treason. So my dear freind, Marmara lost his throne thanks to the company he kept and his big mouth.
tnelson •
Nikki Dimech's family would like to thank all those who supported Nikki during this dirty campaign by the PN administration (and fellow PN councillors who had promised their support) to remove him from Mayor of Sliema. We thank all those who through their comments in the newspapers, phone calls and meeting on the street showed that what was being done to Nikki was very undemocratic and vile especially coming from a party that proposes itself to be the champion of democracy. We hope that this is an eye opener to all other NP coucillors all over the Maltese islands. Watch out. When Big Daddy doesn't want you any more he will find ways and means to discard you.
We also publicly thank Sandra Camilleri for the support she gave to Nikki even after being harassed by PBO and JPD to sign a motion against Nikki.
Lino Camilleri •
il poplu malti ghandu bzonn iqum mir raqda li jinsab fija u juri li maghdux bahnan. Meta jigu l-elezjonijiet tal kunsilli juri id dizapprovazjoni tieghu billi ma johrog jivvota. U dawn il kunsilli jmutu wahedom. Jekk ma jsirx hekk il malti bahnan kien, bahnan ghadu u bahnan iktar jibqa. U jekk il partit laburista irid jitla fil gvern irid iwieghed li il kunsilli jtajjarhom min hemm. F'pajjiz tant ckejken bhal taghna dawn ma hawnx bzonnom u ma jrendux.
Albert Zammit •
Mrs Gonzi should have had the decency to abstain from voting, at a vote in which she knew that she would see herself replacing Dimech as mayor. That is the way things are done. But where is decency, today?
The PN councillors claimed that they had orders from Party headquarters how to vote.
The PL councillors, I have no doubt, had orders from THEIR Party headquarters how to vote, if not from the Labour Leader himself.
Where does this leave the Local Councils in general? They are nothing but a pitiful hotch-potch of representatives of the two major political parties! They are nothing but an extension of both local political party clubs we have in towns and villages. And we all know how much brain-cells all those, amount to. No wonder the situation of local councils is breaking up.
This is all a disgusting situation.
Jeffrey Vella •
No wonder that Mrs. Gonzi had no comments to make regarding the under-handed tactics that led to Nikki Dimech's impeachment and to her becoming mayor of Sliema.
She is the one that gained the most out of the situation.
Connie Saliba •
EVEN MORE than trying to be diplomatic - yes for sure she wont make it next time - nor even if she carries the GONZI name BORG OLIVIER WAS a better chance for his name BUT NOW TOGETHER THEY ARE DOOMED FOREVER FROM THE POLITICAL SCENE.
BE BRAVE AND CALL FOR NEW ELECTIONS NOW FOR THE COUNCIL - we dont even believe you were abroad -
Charles Brincat •
Sorry FRANKIE i never wanted to create a smokescreen . I never had a doubt in the integrity of Mr Marmara . My point was that PL never gave the reason why they decided to boot him . Surely they owe it to the Fgura residents to give them a reason . And yes i agree with your opinion that it was a political decision . And again Mr Marmara's claim that he was threatened was never denied
Luke Camilleri •
Quote of the Day
To have and to use a giant's strenght !
Bon Ton 03 September 2010 18:24
Oh, it is excellent to have a giant's strength; but it is tyrannous to use it like a giant.
-William Shakespeare, playwright and poet (1564-1616)
http://www.maltastar.com/pages/r1/ms10dart.asp?a=11469
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/sliema-mayor-tells-iaid-that-borg-olivier-told-him-which-firm-to-choose-for-%E2%82%AC1-2m-tend
•
Now Malta has another GONZI to contend with.
Remember the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of OZ.
This is a perfect PN fairytale as all the characters fit right in.
The SLIEMA residents and their Councillors who adapt very well
to what the Wizard at Pieta has explicitly ordered.
Thanks to Sandra Camilleri who by her principles has played the part of Dorothy perfectly and TOTO (Nikki Dimech) who can only watch and bark at the dark shadows that descended on his political party.
Looks like the PL councillors has played the parts of the Lion (No Heart), the Scarecrow (No Guts) and the Thin Man (No Brains).
Is it any wonder that the Malta's political system keeps getting more dysfunctional every day, when you have two parties in cahoots and the people too gullible to remove them.
Somewhere over the rainbow, there must be a third party.
joseph mercieca •
I am very angry and disappointed by the abstantion of the Labour Councillors. More so when one reads their motivation. The points they raised all indicated that they should have voted against. Could some Labour big wig explain what the PL has gained by this abstanstion? This only makes them accessories to the injustice done. The only just person and not a puppet is Mrs.Camilleri. Irrispective of the fact that we differ politically I salute you PROSIT Mrs. Camilleri.
PS. Fairplay don't try to creat smokscreens. I can assure you if Mr. Marmara had any skeleton in his closet it would have been perched to the four winds. MR. Balzan said nothing because their was nothing to say and not to hide. Rest assured if Mr. Marmara in someway broke the law by now he would be rotting in a cell at Cordin's CF. But not to leave Fairplay in doubt, Mr. Marmara was outsted because he supports Dr. Michael Falzon and was not toeing the Party line. This according to your own media and I think its quite plausible knowing the way PL is being run. I am happy to say that as regards filth at local and national level you PN beats PL us hands down, there is no competition between us, you'r good very good.
•
One thing for sure , Joanna Gonzi did not make it under her own steam but because of her namesake and PBO's desperate bid to be on gonzi's goodbook.
Sliema residenta are not so stupid and next time round Joanna will experience what she helped dish out to Dimech.
I am not vouching for Nikki Dimech but believe in the saying "Innocent until proven guilty" and the way PBO and gonziPN went about the matter shows a dictatorial line toeing rather than respect to party line.
Lino Camilleri •
x'gibtuh tghamlu dan il video hadd ma jista jarah?
Anette B Cassar •
Camilla, I cannot either. It says it is for private viewing.
anthony70 •
Hi all am I the only one not able to view the Videos?
•
Do you really think that you can face the rest of the council members when you know that you are not wanted and that you are only there cos the PN, against the wish of the Sliema residents, has done everything to make this happen?
Ahh! but I remember well what the ex-PN general secratery said after the last general election 'FOR VOTES WE DO EVERYTHING' and PBO has proved it again!
The more I hear of the name Gonzi the more I seem to get sick!
Rita Pizzuto •
Anke Kristu kellu Guda fost l-appostli
Rita Pizzuto •
I am given the impression that fascism is not dead at all. Current goings on
have confirmed my belief.
Poor guy! Guilty or not of the accusations levelled at him, is this the way a young respectable man should be treated? Why this vindictiveness by the NP?
Are Nikki Dimech's alleged sins so bad to drag him to court like a criminal late evening and on the eve of a no confidence vote against him?
The NP is giving the impression that it does not only want to get rid of Dimech from mayor, but also to completely destroy him and his source of livelihood. He is the owner of a respectable audit firm and it looks like the intention of the party for not toeing the line is to cut him off, to make him pay and destroy his firm.
There have been worse cases I am sure with those involved still running around if not protected. Let us see if the NP will act the same way in the case of others.
So now we have a Gonzi as PM and a Gonzi as Sliema mayor. Povera Malta.
Joseph Caruana •
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/search/node/darren%20marmara
Joseph Caruana •
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/search/node/darren%20marmarahttp://www.maltatoday.com.mt/search/node/darren%20marmara
Lino Camilleri •
Ghandek tghid hux il korrotti kollha qedin fil kunsilli lokali. Imma fil partiti politici maltin ma jezistux.
Charles Brincat •
Ghandi il kurzita kif is sur Balzan ma hax l istess interess fil kas tal ex mayor tal fgura Marmara Ghallinqas tajjeb jew hazin nafu x gara fil kas tas sur Dimech imma allajbierek fil kas ta Marmara kollox mistur
•
PN might as well kiss their traditional Sliema majority goodbye, courtesy of an incompetent PBO, 5 spineless cowards and a magnificent opportunist. The new story is named - The Last PN Mayor of Sliema
Louis Gatt •
Its like watching the puppets ( comedy) on a string very prevalent in Sicily! This episode has catapulted our Party unto new " European" heights! Che vergognna!
Lino Camilleri •
Ghandek tghid kif jilhqu certi nies hux.
