How can the Labour Party and those responsible for local councils tolerate this kind of MINUTED abuse?
The Zurrieq local council has been turned into a sort of organiser of giti tal-ivjaggar, with Labour councillor Rita Bellizzi and “a friend of her choice” going free with every 22 people to whom the Zurrieq Council sells a package, and the Labour mayor, Ignatius Farrugia, “using all the other free tickets for himself and friends of his choice, with Ms Bellizzi having no control over them”.
So here we have yet more Labour politicians who see the acquisition of power and political status, even the tinpot versions of a local council in a village, as a way of grabbing whatever they can in the way of freebies, even trampling over each other to do so, with the mayor screwing the councillor over for the free tickets for himself and his friends.
From the minutes of the Zurrieq local council meeting, 24 July:
17.11.3 Il-Kunsillier Rita Bellizzi qalet li l-mawra li organizzat għall-Sqallija f’Ġunju li għadda kienet suċċess u issa qed tħejji għal mawra oħra f’Taormina fil-ġimgħa li ġejja.
F’dan il-waqt il-Kunsillier Dino Bonnici staqsa jekk il-Kumpanija li qed torganizza tali ġiti hiex tagħti xi tip ta’ biljetti bla ħlas lill-Kunsill talli jkun ġabrilha n-nies.
Il-Kunsillier Rita Bellizzi qalet li ma’ kull 22 ruħ li jħallsu lill-Kumpanija biex isifru, l-Kunsill jingħata biljett b’xejn li minnhom tmur hi bħala organizzatriċi tal-attivita u helper tal-għażla tagħha biex jgħina waqt il-vjaġġ u l-ġita. Il-biljetti l-oħra jużhom is-Sindku u xi ħbieb talgħażla tiegħu li hi m’għandiex kontroll fuqhom.
Wara diskussjoni kien hemm qbil li għall-ġiti oħra li tista torganizza l-Kunsillier Rita Bellizzi għandha tkun hi – l-Kunsillier Rita Bellizzi u helper tal-għażla tagħha li jieħdu żewġ biljetti b’xejn li tagħti lkumpanija u jekk jingħataw iżjed minn tnejn, għandu jkun il-Kunsill kollu li jiddeċiedi minn igawdi minnhom.
The mayor of Zurrieq is so thrilled to be on a plane that he has his picture taken with an air hostess and uploads it to Facebook.
26 Comments Comment
Reply to Jozef Click here to cancel reply
This mayor has shown all along that he is not fit to hold that post, yet the local people elected him and the Partit Laburita he represents is quite happy with him.
Such are the values of today.
Nothing’s based on talent, ability, discipline and goodwill.
When there’s nothing of the above-mentioned, there’s nothing much to hope for.
In Malta, it’s just a popularity contest.
Nothing is based on MERITOCRACY.
But he likes “epitasers” with his “drings”.
https://www.facebook.com/natius.farrugia?fref=ts
Now that’s some talent.
Alfred Sant managed to get rid of him, but only after Zurrieq was made to look like some God forsaken place.
When Muscat took over, Natius was rehabilitated, notwithstanding the mess he created when the village centre was ‘redesigned’ and which had to be redone after just five years.
This link has nothing to do with the above post, but I believe it’s illuminating. This is but an excerpt – I heard the whole thing on TV and this was the only link I could find. Worth viewing if you have 30 min to spare.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4F2kU1eolQ
The problem here is that when you live in a sewer, you get used to the smell and stop smelling it. This sort of thing becomes normal and natural.
Labour has been a sewer since 1949 and unfortunately has not been forced through a sewage treatment plant because too many of us have been in or around that sewer for too long.
To those who have recently taken the plunge into the sewer, let me remind you that when you dive into a sewer, even if you wear a wetsuit, when and if you come out, you still come out covered in and stinking of shit.
And that stink never quite goes away….
Since minutes of Council meetings are sent to the Department of Local Councils and are also uploaded on the Council’s website, I sincerely hope that the Director for Local Government or his accredited representative scrutinises such minutes.
I feel that Rita Bellizzi’s actions are much more serious than other trivial matters about which the DLG or his representative enquires about especially with PN led Councils.
He behaves like a 5-year old boy. How embarrassing taking a photo with a flight attendant. I have never seen anyone taking such photos before.
How else would you know it was an Emirates flight and not Ryanair?
Bright and vivid colours seem to attract him.
In 2010 the PN mayor of Sta Venera was forced to resign because a small sum of money earned by the Local Council was given to charity before the councillors had been officially informed about it.
The Prime Minister had ordered an investigation and, while no wrong-doing had been committed (the mayor had even rounded up the sum by contributing out of her own pocket) she resigned anyway.
Unsurprisingly such standards are expected from a PN administration but when it comes to Labour, anything goes. We’re just relieved that at least they haven’t started torturing prisoners in the Police Headquarters and burning down PN clubs. Small mercies.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100806/local/sta-venera-mayor-investigated-by-auditor-general-over-irregularity.321219
In-nies ta’ warajh, fir-ritratti- tinduna li Maltin.
Il-hostess ma tantx tidher happy pero.
Isn’t the provision of such a travel service subject to public procurement rules? In which case the free tickets amount to corruption.
Plus, in Malta don’t you need some kind of licence to act as a travel agent? How can a governmental body act as an agency?
Jahasra, araw hemmx xi hadd fil-bzonn iz-Zurrieq, dak li bl-Ingliz nghidulhom ‘a deserving case’, u ghamlu farka karita’ maghhom. Jew tellghu l-biljetti zejda lotterija u uzaw il-fondi ghal xi ghan filantropiku. Tafu kemm qed taghmlu ikrah?
L-integrita’ hadet daqqa ‘l isfel. U dawn tkazaw bil-familja ta’ John Dalli meta akkuzawhom b’konflitt ta nteress rigward il-biljetti ta l-ivvjaggar met kien ministru.
He looks like one of those villain from a James Bond movie
Anke l-flokk libes ahmar.
Ara veru Laburist IMQAXXAR.
DAN TIFEL TA’ SENTEJN F’MOHHU MISKIN. NITHASSRU.
X’se jaghmel Hose?
I’d feel safe flying knowing that Natius is on board. In an emergency, he can fashion a landing strip in no time.
As far as I can tell, the free tickets are not being paid out of the taxpayer’s coffers, but by the travel agents as a “commission” to the councillor.
Therein lies the problem – “tour leader/salesperson” should not figure under a councillor’s job description.
Had this been a trip to the municipality of Borgo Maggiore, with which Żurrieq is twinned, this trip would have made more sense. But to have a “ġita lejn Sqallija” organised by the local council, without any direct relation to the village itself strikes me as a gross misuse of Local Council time and resources – even if no taxpayer money was used to finance the trips themselves.
The mayor’s approach to the whole thing makes his attitude to the council even clearer: to him, the council is just a glorified sottokumitat of the Każin Banda Queen Victoria.
What a f***** muppet.
Marsascala’s mayor has been doing it for ages. He and his girlfriend(s) go abroad on ‘exchanges’ on a regular basis without his councillors being told, and they can do nothing about it.
He contested the general election but failed miserably (thank God). If that’s how he uses his minimal amount of power, I shudder to think of what he would have done in parliament.
A nation of leeches. Kullhadd jisloh.