JPO: No team spirit in PN

MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando told TVAM on Monday morning that he backed the Opposition motion calling for the resignation of Richard Cachia Caruana from Malta’s EU Permanent Representative because it is not acceptable to indulge in intrigues with foreign governments behind the back of Malta’s parliament. “Had the reactivation of Malta’s participation in the Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme been brought to Parliament through the normal channels it would have been approved without any opposition.”

Pullicino Orlando referred to the contempt in which a clique dominated by Cachia Caruana holds in contempt MPs elected by citizens and whoever does not bow his head to this cliques is destroyed. He mentioned persons like Jean Pierre Farrugia, Jesmond Mugliett, Robert Arrigo, John Dalli and Guido de Marco who were all the targets of vicious attacks against them

Pullicino Orlando said that after he was elected in the last election he was targetted as well as he did not fit in Cachia Caruana’s plans.

TVAM’s presenter Pierre Portelli asked him if he bears personal grudges against Cachia Caruana and showed him a video clip of Dr Andrew Borg Cardona known as “il-Bocca” saying so. Pullicino Orlando said that this lawyer is one of the personal acolytes of Cachia Caruana who uses him “for character assassination attacks on those who do not fit in his plans.”

Pullicino Orlando said that after the 2008 elections when Cachia Caruana tried to get him out of the way and “il-Bocca” was attacking him persistently, he got in touch with Cachia Caruana about these attacks who told him he would get in touch with “Il-Bocca” and the attacks stopped.

Pullicino Orlando said that even Lawrence Gonzi says that personal attacks should stop. He said he cannot accept how Cachia Caruana got Malta into PfP without any parliamentary scrutiny and involvement. “Cachia Caruana despises the democratic process and even those who get 5,000 votes in an election. The frame up on John Dalli is a clear example of this.”

Pullicino Orlando said that Cachia Caruana has called him a Sicilian. “Even Daphne Caruana Galizia who is his mouthpiece used to call Guido de Marco a Sicilian.” Referring to Cachia Caruana’s visit to his house to learn of Pullicino Orlando’s voting intentions on the motion, Pullicino Orlando said it is very arrogant of him to believe that MPs have to consult him or get his permission on hoe to vote in parliament. Not even Laurence Gonzi asked me how I was going to vote. I would expect the whip David Agius to ask me but not Cachia Caruana.”

Pullicino Orlando said that the PN parliamentary group was never consulted on the choice of Dr George Abela as President of the Republic. The same goes for the obscene way on which the ministers got a €500 weekly salary increase. MPs are ignored. Several MPs told me that they had known how I was going to vote on the motion of Last Monday they would have backed it as well.”

Pullicino Orlando said that Cachia Caruana knew of Alfred Sant’s reaction to the Mistra case before the attack on him started. Cachia Caruana has planned to sue that case to show what a bully Sant was. Then eh had said that Sant was wrong to attack me but now he is saying that Sant was right to say what he said of me. He changes his opinions as it suits him.”

Pullicino Orlando said that Gonzi’s cliques has sidelined a number of people who are still valid and has cut off the Prime Minister from a lot of people. This has become a problem for him.

Asked about Dr Eddie Fenech Adami’s comment on the motion on Cachia Caruana, Pullicino Orlando said he agreed that Cachia Caruana has a very valid contribution to give but he is not indispensable. “Cachia Caruana has made himself indispensable by sidelining a number of very valid people.”

When told that Fenech Adami had criticized his decision to back the motion, Pullicino Orlando said: “I have a lot of respect for him but he does not know what is going on and does not know in what atmosphere we have to work in the parliamentary group. There is no team spirit since the 2008 election.”