A PN election candidate has claimed a party official promised a construction “fat cat” that the vocal candidate would be “shut up”.
St Julian’s mayor Albert Buttigieg, a critic of rampant construction in Malta, said the unnamed official promised the “fat cat” that he would be silenced during a meeting in a hotel earlier this year.
Buttigieg made the claims in a Times of Malta opinion piece but declined to say who he was referring to when contacted.
The failed PN candidate, who unsuccessfully campaigned in the 9th and 10th districts, said that revealing names could compromise the source who tipped him off about what was said during this meeting.
Buttigieg also claimed he had been sidelined by the party during the election and questioned whether the alleged request could have led to such a move.
He told Times of Malta his source only approached him about the “fat cat” meeting after the election campaign.
'Maltese expletives are crude to reproduce here'
“The meeting, held at the beginning of the year, took place in a hotel. The ‘fat cat’ specifically requested the party official to ‘shut me up’.
“To him, I was/am a thorn in the side. The Maltese expletives attributed to me are crude to reproduce here. The party official promised to oblige and assured him that he/she would be taking the matter into his/her hands,” Buttigieg wrote in the article.
He questions whether the“unelected official” attended this meeting on his own initiative or as a party representative.
“Was the party leader and administration aware of such a meeting and did they approve,” he questioned.
Buttigieg told Times of Malta he decided to write about the alleged meeting to warn about the danger of Malta’s political class being controlled by those seeking self-advancement.
The PN mayor complained in his article that he was never invited by the party to address any press conference or take part in any debate or party activity, not even to discuss themes he is qualified and experienced in.
Buttigieg said he twice offered his resignation due to feeling like he was intentionally being sidelined but the resignation was not accepted.
'I am not a bad loser'
“One may say I am bad loser. I am not. All I can say is that such brazen disregard prompted me to undergo some soul searching, reflecting on the reasons why I was given the cold shoulder,” he wrote.
Asked to react to the “fat cat” claims, a PN spokesperson said anyone with information on a PN official’s misconduct should report it to the party's Ethics, Discipline and Social MediaCommission and provide proof.