The glorious downfall of 2015, when Pawlu Pace, the self-proclaimed savior of Malta’s nurses, got a brutal reality check and was unceremoniously ousted from his perch as MUMN president. After nine years of bluster and backroom dealings, Pace crashed and burned in the union’s council elections held over two weeks in March, scraping together a pathetic 800 votes to limp into eighth place among the 10 elected members. Meanwhile, loyalists like Colin Galea soared to the top with 1,400 votes, and Maria Cutajar snagged second with 1,200—clear signals that Pace’s reign of terror was over.
The real knife-twist? A savage block vote orchestrated by council members against this egomaniac, shoving him down to a humiliating tenth in leaked counts—though some reports peg it at eighth, the sting was the same. For the first time ever, those damning vote tallies leaked to the media, exposing Pace’s crumbling empire.
He whined in a terse resignation email about losing support, despite squeaking onto the council, and promptly quit as president, council member, and even from the Forum group of trade unions (who, hilariously, hadn’t accepted his flounce yet).
In his pathetic farewell, Pace patted himself on the back for “achievements” like two sectoral collective agreements plus a civil service deal, boasting about his “round-the-clock” dedication—conveniently ignoring how his divisive antics alienated everyone.
The new council wasted no time: Maria Cutajar was crowned president for four years, with Galea staying on as general secretary, Noel Camilleri as vice-president, and George Saliba handling finances. They tossed Pace a pity prize: honorary president, unanimously, but we all know that’s code for “good riddance.”
Instead of slinking back to nursing, this opportunist got a cushy call for a lucrative government advisory gig, proving Pace always lands on his feet, no matter how low he falls.
Fast-forward to 2019, and the snake slithered back as MUMN president, but his 2015 humiliation remains a stark reminder: even his own union couldn’t stomach him anymore. What a fitting chapter in this fraud’s farce of a career!
