Minister gives ‘preferential’ treatment to former lecturer Carm Mifsud Bonnici

Transport Minister Chris Bonett gave Opposition MP Carm Mifsud Bonnici a pass when the latter asked three questions at one go in parliament on Wednesday.

“Carm Mifsud Bonnici was one of my favourite lecturers at university and I will answer all his questions,” Bonett said with a smile after Mifsud Bonnici ‘abused’ his chance to ask a parliamentary question and instead slipped in three questions at one go.

Somebody in parliament cordially remarked from the back benches this was preferential treatment, to which Bonett replied: “Yes, it is justified preferential treatment.”

It was one of the more friendly exchanges in parliament, with Mifsud Bonnici telling Bonett he would be asking three questions “in one” because it would be some time before he could get another chance.

A blue can of paint

Mifsud Bonnici asked Bonett whether he had some government workers to spare to go and paint the door of the former police station in Tarxien, which had been vandalised. “I know it does not strictly fall in your remit but if you have some workers to spare, maybe you could send them over with a can of blue paint to fix the door,” Mifsud Bonnici asked.

“Does it have to be blue?” the minister replied in a cheeky tone, taking note of the observation and promising to look into it.

Mifsud Bonnici had also asked about road works in Tarxien’s main road and the square in front of the parish church with Bonett saying that planned works were put on hold until after the two locality feasts are over.

“Once the feast of the Holy Rosary is over, we will kick off with the works and the plan is to have them complete by next year in time for the festa season,” the minister replied.

The third question, Mifsud Bonnici dropped was about a pothole in Valletta at the crossroads between Archbishop Street and Republic Street, which he said seemed to be getting bigger every week.

Bonett said he was looking into the matter.