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VIDEO | The day after Nikki Dimech: Ousted mayor loses favour with residents, but Joanna Gonzi is 'unknown quantity'
Sliema residents this morning awoke to the news that Nikki Dimech is no more their mayor. In comments to MaltaToday's James Debono and Karl Stagno-Navarra, Sliema residents expressed their 'disappointment' in Dimech, but also admitted to know nothing about their new mayor Joanna Gonzi.
Nikki Dimech was ousted yesterday evening as Sliema mayor after an impeachment motion was approved by a PN majority, electing his deputy, Joanna Gonzi, who insisted on denying Labour allegations that the whole saga surrounding Dimech’s case was a “power struggle” between opposing factions within the PN.
Dimech faced the motion just 48 hours after he was released on bail by a Magistrates Court where he was charged with bribery and having reviled and threatened a public officer in the course of duty. The former mayor has strongly denied the charges.
PN councillor Cyrus Engerer who presented the motion against his mayor stressed that the police accusations “ put the council’s work in difficulty.” But councillor Sandra Camilleri, who recently resigned from the PN to back the belagured former mayor, voted against the motion, insisting that she is a “woman of principle.”
The three Labour councilors who sit on the troubled PN dominated council, abstained from the vote, stressing that the whole issue was “politically contaminated”.
PL councillor Martin Debono who thanked Nikki Dimech for his work “to the benefit of Sliema” added that the PL did not support Joanna Gonzi who, he stressed, “showed lack of respect on various occasions towards Labour councillors.”
He pointed out that the police arraignment of Nikki Dimech on Tuesday “could have influenced the vote” and hinted at what he described as “strange coincidences” about how “confidential information was leaked from certain quarters.”
Tony Sultana •
It is unbelievable how certain people are prone to believe every policy/line of thought adopted by a political party.
In this case Borg Olivier mishandled the case completely and the more time passes the more I believe that this man should be casted in the series ‘Fawlty Towers’ and not occupy the post that he has within the Nationalist Party.
It is evident from how this case is developing that Mr. Dimech was ousted from Mayor in order to avoid a power struggle in election time in this sensitive district.
Albert Mallia •
If we have to judge the new major for Sliema according to her previous performance, especially the responsiblity for Law Enforcement, then we should not expect much. In Sliema, Law Enforcement was, has been and is almost non existent in many aspects. Just go around and 'NOTICE". ( but one has to "notice" not just "see")
Well, perhaps a miracle will happen!
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Kemm hemm iktar korruzzjoni li tidher imma ghax irjus kbar kollox jibqa ghaddej dawn qabdu ma wiehed zghir u ma nistax nifhem jien ghax dan nazjonalist bhalhom jew inkella ridu ilahqu lil ta gonzi
Joe Tanti •
Watching that bunch of buffoons all uttering the the same phrase NO COMMENT was like looking at a cage of parrots uttering the same words one after another ,it is a shame that the TV cameras did not pan out on to their feet cause we may have seen the ribbons attached to their legs and being pulled by the omnipotent ( he thinks) the mini Himmler:Paul Borg Olivier...Poor Giorgio,how he must be turning in his grave seeing this imbecile upstart shaming the once illustrious name that was borne by by the father of Maltese independence.Giorgio may have had his faults,and not always saw eye to eye with labourities but at least he was honest and a clean fighter.PBO just bear in mind that what goes round comes around.
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According to Mahatma Ghandi, the 7 Blunders of the World are:
1. Wealth without work
2. Pleasure without conscience
3. Knowledge without character
4. Commerce without morality
5. Science without humanity
6. Worship without sacrifice
7. POLITICS WITHOUT PRINCIPLE
Sadly, it seems that's the only kind of Politics in the Republic of Malta (so far)
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The PN councillors should have done what the PL councillors did. Nicky Dimech is innocent untill he is proved guilty. PBO was the judge jury and executioner and his aim was to shame N.Dimech before he could have time to clear his name. I cannot say who is right or wrong but I hope that time is on Nicky' side.
Lino Camilleri •
Squall kieku l-oppozizjoni ghada f'idejn mintof nahseb kieku qedin barra it tororq niggieldu ghal helsien ta uliedna. U sewwa kien jaghmel. Bhalma iggielidna biex hadna raghjna f'idejna mill barrani hekk irid isir il lum biex niehdu il helsien mill hakma tal klikka maltin. Ghax illum malta donna inxtrat min xi erba sangisugi maltin kollha jahdmu ghalihom bhal ma jaghmlu il mazuni. Issa jifhem min irid!
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Not much sign of intelligence. I could detect some fear and plenty of 'loyalty'. In general PN has its supporters on a short leash.
What is clear watching both this video and the now about the new mayor - is that both have no idea what is expected from them. Hearing these 'voters' talk - its clear that they expect the authorities to do as they please and have no concept of their own rights.
Hearing the no comment, piss off attitude of the new mayor - which civilized country has a newly appointed official start off like that ? They don't even bother feeding us some crap about a new era of transparency and how she will be working for the betterment of the community. It does not even cross her mind to lie about these things - coz the concept is alien to her.
What this remind me off is watching a documentary on Iraqis during the Saddam era. But i guess, once you scratch away our presumption to be Europeans - based soley on the fact that they kept invading us - what you get is a tribal semitic society. Its not just language that is semitic - its our very culture. Even our religion is a fundamental form of religion more typical of Islam and and equally with an entitlement to political power. In fact i have talked to people who had no idea what secular meant - they had not heard the word and did not understand what it meant.
Joseph Pellicano •
kieku il kusilira tal pl ivvutaw ma nikki dimech, il pampaluni nazjonalisti kinu johorgu jajtu li tal pl jaqblu mal korruzjoni. Sewa ghamlu astenew, ghax il kas ghadu il qorti,
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Jien xorta ma naqbilx li ghamlu il LP mela ghalfejn ghamlu dak it teatrin kollu fuq li ghamlu il PN lil ex sindku u ma appogjawhx Bli qed jigri huwa li il poplu Malti huwa immexxi min partit ia opposizjoni rieqed ghax li kien hemm Mintoff jew Fenech Adami kiieku l-affarijiet immorru ahjar
max xuereb •
Kieku tal-PL ivvutaw ma Dimech, kienu jlighabu l-loghba tal-PN. Hekk dallewhom jghaffgu wahedhom.
Mark Anthony Borg •
Squall, kieku PL ivvutaw ma Dimech u camilleri, kienu jigu 5. il-kunsilliera tal-PN huma sitta, u xorta kienet tghaddi kif ried gonzi, u jaghmel lil Joanna Gonzi sindku. Tghallem ghodd
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Why should labour have acted as saint on this occasion? First - the fact that PN have become the devil incarnate does not automatically candidate labour for sainthood, secondly - do you think labour are treated any better than nikki when the occasion arises? Who is crying over the misfortunes off so many others in this country?
And how about people like myself? Some of us are not necessarily labour or nationalist. We just want to live in a democratic country run on ethical principles and honestly and not by gangs of con artists, criminals, perverts, bitches and retards. What about us? Who is crying over our lot?
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Nikki was a willing participant until they turned against him. I feel sorry for him - but i feel more sorry for my family and for the future of this country. Why do we bother having elections and wasting time and money when clearly they have nothing to do with the will of the people. For the gonzis, seizing power without the consent of the people is nothing new. May i remind your readers how eddie stood for election and resigned the following week - giving the country to Gonzi to rule for the next 5 years? I am glad it happened in sliema and let's face it- it was more likely to happen in sliema than anywhere else. This is a country with deep divisions - and in a country the size of a donkey turd - we have managed to make these divisions even geographical - now that's an achievement.
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Xkien jigri li kieku il kunsilliera tal PL ivvotaw kontra kienu jigu 5 b 5 Mela ma ghandkomx MELH meta tastjeni ikun ifisser li qed taghmel bhal PILATU u hekk ghamlu il kunsilliera tal PL qieshom qablu man Nazjonalisti
Carmen Borg •
Jekk tal-Labour iddisgustawk, xi tighdli rigward " Yves (Bobby) Cali' , Edward Cushcieri u Patrick Pace " 3 gimghat qabel jiffirmaw mozzjoni ta sfiducja f'Johanna Gonzi u issa mbierek alla jaqblu maghha. Emm xi haga tinten. Dawk huma li kienu disgustanti mela Il-Laburisti, x tipretendi li jaghmlu meta taf li ghandek gvern li mohhu biex jara kif u b'liema mod se jhammeg il-partit l-iehor. Tahseb li kieku kellhom din il-problema tal-labour, il-PN hekk kienu se jaghmlu?
Squall ma Naqbilx mieghek fuq din. Infatti huma biss kienu li irringrazjawh tas-sena sindku li ghamel, ghax jafu jirrispettaw il-dak li jkun, imma ara lilhom laqqas biss kellhom il-wicc iharsu lejh. Il-bierah min ma kienx jaf xi tfisser TRADIMENT, skoprija il-bierah.
Micheal Bonanno •
U jien iddisgustat bi kliemek. Tahseb li kellu xi triq ohra l-PL? L-astensjoni kienet l-unika triq, u dan mhux jien biss qieghed inghidu. Rajtha l-ahhar stqarrija tal-PN? Ahseb w ara x'kienu jghidu kieku l-PL ivvota favur. Iva, fil-fehma tieghi u ta' hafna ohrajn, il-PL sew ghamel.
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Jiena Sliemiz u ninsab id diskuztat kif il kunsulliera laburisti ASTJENEW bli ghamiltu komplejtu ma dak li ghmel il partit nazjonalisia ghax imisskom ifutajtu favur is sindku Nicky Dimech mela tigu tohorgu cirkulari ta CWIEC li intkom bhal dan dwar l-astenzjoni taghkom HALLUNA
