Malta Independent pushes line that honoraria to ministers 'not as stealthy as believed'

The Malta Independent pushes the line that senior Opposition members were aware that Cabinet ministers had been receiving honoraria.

23 January 2011, 12:00am
by Martina Said

1 min read

The newspaper reports that during PQ time on 4 February 2009, Labour whip Joe Mizzi expressed that “Mmnisters are going backward instead of forward since they received an extra remuneration as Members of Parliament.”

On February 9, veteran Labour MP George Vella during the procedural motion debate said “…even more so now that the Prime Minister has chosen to give an extra salary to ministers as MPs, becase he said they are also serving a parliamentary function.”

Both statements "confirm knowledge" of the pay increases, the Independent reports.

The newspaper also repeats similar details pertaining to a proposal by former MPs to the parliament's welfare committee, used as a justification by the Prime Minister during his ministerial statement in parliament this week

More from Martina Said

Alfred Galea •

This rag, like the PN Times is doing everything to deflect the blame from the PN Govt. on to the opposition. So the twp MPs knew about it, does it absolve the PN Govt. from being guilty of pigging at the trough??Does it absolove it from not being transparent with the puiblic, hiding it in the budget and other unhandidness??

•

Independent? That's certainly a misnomer for a name.

•

I see nowhere stating that all MP's including opposition will be taking an increase. But apart what one writes the fact is that yesterday the Speaker said clearly that the honoraria issue was done in an abnormal irregular position. If there was nothing to hide why was the procedure irregular and abnormal?