Gender quota the biggest travesty of democracy says Arnold Cassola

Apr 12 2022

Independent candidate Arnold Cassola has called the gender corrective mechanism the biggest travesty of democracy as it is only benefiting only PL and PN at the expense of third parties.

Releasing a statement on Tuesday, Cassola asked whether the will of the electors is being respected or whether this is even democracy. Cassola argued that ADPD candidate Sandra Gauci got more votes than PL candidate Davina Sammut Hili, despite the latter being elected into parliament.

Cassola went on to criticise the move by PN candidate Janice Chetcuti to drop out of the casual election race on the third district to rely on the mechanism to be elected and make way for a male colleague. Carm Mifsud Bonnici was elected on Tuesday following this.

‘Janice Chetcuti, makes a whole mockery of the supposed corrective mechanism and plays about with the system in order to ensure that her PN male colleague gets elected… at the expense of a woman’ Cassola said.

He concluded that the crux of the issue is that it is not true that the law is giving women representation in parliament according to the will of the voters.

#MaltaDaily

Not the time for PN to change leader says Mark Anthony Sammut

Apr 12 2022

Newly elected MP Mark Anthony Sammut expressed his thoughts saying that this is not the right time for the PN to change leader and be fragmented.

Sammut said that the party leader, Bernard Grech, should be allowed to continue despite the electoral defeat.

In the year-and-a-half he has been leader, Grech did important changes and this included the regeneration of the parliamentary group, said Sammut.

Sammut, a new face elected to parliament under the PN ticket, was speaking during a debate on TVM News Plus’ Xtra. Sammut went on to say that despite the result, the PN should not throw away all that has been achieved or the vision outlined in the electoral programme.

‘This is not a moment for the party to fragment’ said Sammut. ‘The PN has to be humble enough to see how it can do better and understand better the electorate. There was abuse by the government during the electoral campaign but we cannot justify the result through this… reforms and changes within the PN have to happen but not necessarily in the leadership.’

Referring to the ‘abuse’, Sammut said that apart from releasing cheques during the campaign, he claimed that he knew of people who were informed on Election Day by union representatives that they had negotiated a good pay packet.

‘This is abuse but the PN has to focus on what it can do best and the first priority must be to focus on its internal structures’ he said.

#MaltaDaily

4,000 elderly people in care homes to be given second COVID booster

Apr 12 2022

Around 4,000 elderly persons in care homes around Malta and Gozo are being administer the second booster for COVID-19.

The news was revealed by Health Minister Chris Fearne on Monday, addressing a visit at Saint Vincent De Paul residence accompanied by Elderly Minister Jo Etienne Abela.

Fearne said that as restrictive measures are being eased, it is important that the most vulnerable are protected against the virus. This means that 17,000 people aged over 80 and 6,000 others with low immunity have been invited for the second booster shot.

Another 2,000 elderly persons aged over 80 and who are bed bound will be given the shot in the coming days. Minister for the Elderly Jo Etienne Abela said that around 90% of residents at the residence had already received the first booster and will be receiving the second dose in the coming days.

#MaltaDaily

Jason Azzoaprdi retires from politics & PN after failing to get into Parliament

Apr 12 2022

Moments ago, long-time Nationalist Party member and one of the party’s most polarising forces Jason Azzopardi took to Facebook to share that he will be retiring from politics to focus on his professional life.

This comes after Azzopardi failed to get elected to Parliament via casual election after Sliema mayor Graziella Attard Previ managed to occupy Joe Giglio’s vacated ninth district seated.

In a lengthy Facebook post, Azzopardi stated that today, his 24 years of work as an MP and 34 years of activism in every level of the nationalist party have come to an end. The politician, most known for his ties with the PN’s notorious ’17 Blue Heroes’, stated that he will remain at the disposition of anyone who requires genuine help.

“How can I ever thank the Lord enough for all of the lessons throughout the years?” Azzopardi said before outlining his political experience throughout the years. From being approached by Eddie Fenech Adami to contest the 1998 general election whilst he was a University student and youngest MP at that time, to serving as Parliamentary Secretary and Minister between 2008 and 2013, Azzopardi said that he looks back on his political career with pride and a clean conscience.

“I’ve made mistakes. I apologise to those I’ve hurt. The criminals and corrupt however, I do not apologise to. I fact, I would like to assure them that I will continue to seek justice and uncover the truth. Whoever they are.”

What do you make of Jason Azzopardi exit from politics?

#MaltaDaily