The opposition will move a motion in parliament for the appointment of the police commissioner to require a two-thirds majority in parliament, PN leader Bernard Grech said on Sunday.  

He slammed the prime minister's decision to renew the four-year term of current commissioner Angelo Gafa', saying the commissioner had failed in his duties to the people and in terms of the constitution on several levels.

The commissioner, Grech told an interviewer on the PN's radio, was not serving the national interest, and the fact that the prime minister was failing to heed that widely-held view belied his claim after the June 8 elections that he would heed the message of the people.

Grech said the police's failure to independently investigate the Vitals hospital deal was a clear example of Gafa not fulfilling his duties. Even though the court annulled the contract because it was fraudulent, the police had repeatedly ignored multiple appeals to act.

Gafa's claim that the magistrate did not give the police relevant documents did not suffice as an excuse, it only showed that the magistrate didn’t have confidence in the police, a good enough reason for the commissioner to resign, Grech said. 

There were many suitable people who could assume the police commissioner's job, and the method of appointment by two-thirds majority could work, as shown in the appointment of the President. 

Waste to energy plant tender

Grech also referred to a court decision last week, striking down a €600m tender for a waste-to-energy plant because of conflicts of interest by members of the adjudicating committee.

It was unacceptable, he said, that Energy and Environment Minister Miriam Dalli acted like nothing had happened. Her position was untenable.

Indeed, there seemed to be a scandal in everything the government touched. The government should have ensured that the committee adjudicating this contract did not have conflicts of interest. And yet again the police were not investigating, Grech observed.

He said a future PN government would therefore investigate all contracts awarded by the government.

Referring to remarks by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana in an interview to The Sunday Times of Malta, Grech said that the interview amounted to a vote of no confidence in the government, but then how did this minister continue to approve shady government deals?

In five years, he observed, Prime Minster Robert Abela and Clyde Caruana had run up a national debt of €5 billion, which was equal to all of Malta’s debt for the previous 55 years, and they had nothing to show for it, no major projects.

The first thing Abela needed to do was to stop subsidising corruption. And the government needed to stop squandering of public funds which, for example, saw roads being dug up as soon as they were resurfaced.

Staying close to the people

Grech insisted that the PN needed to stay close to the people in order to recognise the challenges that society and individuals faced.

The PN also needed to prepare for the next general election, to be ready for it whenever it came. The first set of election candidates would be announced during the PN’s Independence celebrations in September. This year’s celebrations were particularly significant since Malta would be celebrating 60 years of statehood, Grech said.