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Karl Schembri
The Nationalist Party is holding its General Council this weekend with the conspicuous absence of both the secretary-general, Joe Saliba, and his assistant, Angelito Sciberras, as both are abroad on personal commitments.
Party councillors speaking to MaltaToday were amazed by the absence of the two functionaries from the table reserved exclusively for the PN’s upper echelons to flank Lawrence Gonzi during the three-day long council themed “So that you live better” (Biex inti tghix ahjar).
“I can’t figure out how the party leader went ahead with the council without Saliba,” one of the councillors said yesterday. “Internally, we were discussing how the party should get closer to the citizens, but without even the secretary-general for the council I wonder how we can even start.”
Friday night’s session was characterised by rehearsed speeches lauding the motions on education, the environment, Gozo and the economy, put forward by the PN’s executive.
Councillors expressed their disappointment at the choreographed general council which precluded criticism and remarks about the current hardships affecting the country.
This morning, the rapporteurs of four working groups set up on the same issues as discussed in the motions will be reading their reports, vetted beforehand by PN information officer Gordon Pisani.
Speaking at yesterday’s workshop on education, Gonzi focused great part of his long speech against Labour’s pre-1987 education policies.
“Thank God we had a government who in 1987 brought a turnaround in education, who reformed it and invested in it,” Gonzi said. “Had we not done that, we wouldn’t be talking today about our economic sectors doing so well.”
Under Labour, education was a “political tool to turn generations into socialists”, Gonzi said.
Speaking in general, Gonzi attacked “those who have taken over the radios and newspapers to dishearten people with their doom and gloom and lies against lies”.
“You hear them say the economy is doing badly, and then you look at the newspapers and you see HSBC making all those profits. How did they make those profits if the economy is stagnated? Record profits! And let me tell you we’ve also made a record in VAT revenues! Do you need to be an economist to see all this? I like reading what economists say but facts and figures speak for themselves.”
kschembri@mediatoday.com.mt
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