Justice needs to be seen – UHM on Delimara power station tender

“The population needs to be assured that what is going on is cautious and proper,” he said, emphasising how the process governing the awarding of multimillion euro tenders needs to be transparent. Vella was speaking during a social event organised for pensioners in Qawra.

Vella welcomed Prime Minister Gonzi’s decision to ‘allow’ witnesses to appear before the Public Accounts Committee, maintaining that “the country needs peace of mind to be able to finally close the chapter once and for all.”

He made no mention however of the government’s previous opposition to attempts by the PAC to summon witnesses when it said that such investigation by the PAC would invalidate the work done by the Auditor General.

Vella also referred to the €600 increase in honoraria for Parliamentary Members – recently outed in the media despite the decision having been taken two and a half years ago (May 2008).

Maintaining that the UHM is not against adequate salaries for MPs, Vella nevertheless said that it is not “proper” for a government to show such insensitivity to the difficult situations that many Maltese families and workers are presently facing.

He reminded the audience that at the same time that the increase was improved, the government was cautioning unions, employers, business owners, workers and families, to be cautious, prudent, and always protect competitiveness.

“The highest institution of the country should lead by example,” Vella maintained, questioning whether the increase could have been spread over a longer span on time to lessen its effect.

“We were disappointed because we did not expect government to make such an insensitive and callous decision,” Vella said, urging government to make more “socially just” decisions in future.

Also referring to the country’s economic situation, Vella said that, contrary to other European countries like Portugal, Greece, and Spain, Malta was weather the storm of financial unrest well.

Nevertheless, he conceded that this advance was not without its difficulties.

Vella affirmed that the union will continue to working towards the advancement of the economy while always keeping the individual as the leading priority. He urged government to adopt a similar approach, and ensure that the economy never takes priority over the people.

Vella also pointed out that the UHM is the only Maltese union to have had a representative elected as vice-present of the European Union’s European Economic and Social Committee.