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Karl Stagno-Navarra
San Gwann PN councillor and Francis Zammit Dimech canvasser Kurt Guillaumier believes he owes “no apology to anybody”, regarding his presence at a rally of the rightwing Alleanza Nazzjonali Repubblikana in Valletta, as well as for comments he subsequently made on a Xarabank programme that addressed the problem of illegal immigration last June.
“I don’t have to apologise to anybody,” Guillaumier insisted, who returned MaltaToday’s call shortly after PN secretary-general Joe Saliba explained that the councillor was summoned before the party’s administrative council, heard his explanation, and received a written “apology” and a “clarification” about the matter that irked the party.
While Joe Saliba explained that for the PN the “issue is closed”, Guillaumier was asked by MaltaToday if he felt he should make a public apology, answering with a categorical “no”. Guillaumier added that he didn’t feel it was warranted, as he made it clear he was “not a racist”.
According to Guillaumier, “nobody at the ANR rally incited to racism, and all I did was stood there and listened to the speakers”.
As to his TV confrontation with parliamentary secretary Tony Abela and MaltaToday editor Saviour Balzan during Xarabank, Kurt Guillaumier explained that all he did was express his concerns at the impact on the country’s finances the illegal immigration problem was causing.
“My preoccupations are supported by the fact that we have a high population density, as well as are already facing many social problems,” he said.
Kurt Guillaumier explained that all this was made clear before the PN administrative council, adding that he was ready to supply “witnesses” to prove that he is not an extremist.
“I lived in Canada and know what a multi-racial society is. I have constituents that voted for me in San Gwann who are Arabs and married to Maltese,” he insisted.
However, confronted by the fact that speaking to this paper last June, PN director of information Gordon Pisani branded the comments made on Xarabank as “unacceptable”, Kurt Guillaumier replied, “he evidently didn’t watch the programme”.
Pisani, who is away this week, told MaltaToday last June that Kurt Guillaumier’s statements on immigration and his presence at the anti-immigration rally “is a conflict with the PN’s beliefs”.
The PN councillor, who is a member of Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech’s secretariat, stated the same for his employer. “Not even the minister watched the programme,” he said.
Zammit Dimech had previously stated, “although I haven’t heard his comments since I had other business to attend to, I had telephone calls from my secretariat indicating to me the content of what he said. These comments are his own and said in his personal capacity. It is unacceptable that he says these type of comments in public, and I will tell him that he cannot be in the private secretariat and say such comments in public”.
Following that, Guillaumier was summoned before the minister and disassociated himself from all forms of xenophobia, and committed himself to consult with the minister before accepting any invitation or participation in public activities.
ksnavarra@mediatoday.com.mt
Link:
www.maltatoday.com.mt/2006/06/11/t2.html
www.maltatoday.com.mt/2006/06/18/t9.html
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