Civil Service head informs AD ‘special leave is optional’

Principal Permanent Secretary Godwin Grima has informed Alternattiva Demokratika representatives Carmel Cacopardo and Arnold Cassola that leave of candidates working in the civil service, to canvass for local council elections, was optional.

The scale-back was announced after AD threatened to withdraw from the local council elections when it was made known that candidates working in the civil service had to take 15 days' unpaid leave to run for the local council elections.

In a statement, Grima said the provisions of the directive had been misintepreted. "The guidelines to this directive make it clear that participation in public and political life must be widened while safeguarding the impartiality of the public service. Article 4 of this directive gives the option to public service employees to take two weeks' special, unpaid leave or ordinary leave for electoral purposes."

Michael Briguglio, AD Chairperson said the green party will be fielding its candidates for the local elections.

Alternattiva Demokratika today announced that it would not contest the local councils elections, unless the Office of the Prime Minister removes directive restrictions on public sector employees.

A directive issued in February 2011 by the OPM ordered prospective election candidates working in the public sector to take special unpaid leave for 15 days if they are to contest local council elections.

Briguglio said that it was "absurd" that the Office of the Prime Minister was "penalising" local candidates by asking them to take special unpaid leave or leave for offering to give a voluntary service to their locality.

"This is obviously detrimental to all candidates who work in the public service, and especially to those who are coming from small parties or who are independent candidates," Briguglio said.

"We have no doubt that this is the true reason why this new directive was introduced less than a year ago and with restricted circulation. In fact we realised in the past few days that very few were aware of its existence."

Yesterday, AD said that candidates from other political parties, including Nationalist mayors, were not aware of the directive. "Because of these manoeuvres to restrict participation of citizens in Malta's democratic process, AD - The Green Party will be withdrawing its 10 candidates from the forthcoming local council elections," Briguglio said.