Jean-Pierre Farrugia: 'PN an impotent bystander' as government has 'gone its own way'

Farrugia – who this week hit the headlines over scathing emails he sent to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and to the whole PN parliamentary group slamming the hefty increase in ministers’ salaries and MP’s honoraria – said on Smash Television Thursday evening that “government has strayed away from letting the party guide it towards fulfilling its electoral programme.”

Referring to the €600 weekly increase in ministers’ salaries and the subsequent increase in MPs' honoraria, Jean Pierre Farrugia said that it was shameful that this development came to light just one month after he was told that there was no money to increase the supplementary aid to families in need.

Farrugia charged that this decision was taken exclusively by the Cabinet, and it revealed nothing more than the “pitiful state of government’s public relations.”

The MP expressed his hope that the Prime Minister backtracks on this decision: "I really hope that somebody sees the light," he said, adding that it seems however, that all seems to be set, as during the first week of January he was informed by the Clerk of the House, that incremented salaries to MP's are to start being paid out as from the end of this month.

While insisting that he is absolutely not interested in having any ministerial post, he stressed: “how could I ever have any aspiration to be part of this executive when I completely disagree with the way it is being led?”

“I am a Nationalist and want to continue serving my party and my country, and will continue to do so by making my voice heard,” Jean-Pierre Farrugia said, adding that as things are today, the PN parliamentary group has been fizzled down to just five MP’s who have nothing to be responsible for.

As he explained that since last year many backbenchers have been given roles as Parliamentary Assistants, he questioned what has been achieved, often criticising his own colleagues of not even being present in the House.

Farrugia remarked about the obvious silence on the salaries and honoraria from Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, Parliamentary Assistants, Parliamentary Committee chairmen, the Speaker of the House and the Deputy Speaker, who are all from the PN benches.

“Out of 35 MPs, only myself and another four make up the PN backbench, “ Jean-Pierre Farrugia said.

At the beginning of the programme, Jean-Pierre Farrugia told presenter Robert Musumeci that he refused to appear on One TV and that the programme 'Talk' was the only one he was accepting to go to. "I am not here on a mission to damage the PN, which is the party I love, but I am here to try and make the party understand what it should stand for," Farrugia said.