The PN planted the culture of absenteeism in Gozo – Labour tore it down.
PN MP Graziella Attard Previ has once again exposed the hypocrisy that defines today’s Nationalist Party. In Parliament, she had the audacity to ask the Prime Minister whether he would request the Auditor General to investigate government employees in Gozo who allegedly abandon their workplace at 10:00am.
Before pointing fingers at others, Attard Previ should first turn her questions towards her own party’s history and the former Nationalist Ministers for Gozo, Anton Tabone and Giovanna Debono. Between 1987 and 2013, the Gozo Ministry under PN rule became a breeding ground for public sector absenteeism. It was during those decades of Nationalist governments that this culture of “għaddi u ibqa’ sejjer” in Gozo was born and entrenched.
Giovanna Debono
Let’s be clear: it was not under Labour governments that this culture flourished. On the contrary, since 2013, Labour administrations have taken concrete action to dismantle it. From reforming rosters to introducing proper shifts, this Government has worked tirelessly to bring discipline and accountability to the public sector in both Malta and Gozo.
The facts are undeniable:
- Under PN, absenteeism became the rule, not the exception.
- Under PN, the public sector was abused as a vote-gathering machine.
- Under Labour, stability and structure were restored.
So before Graziella Attard Previ dares to stand up in Parliament to lecture anyone about public sector absenteeism, she should first look at the legacy of her own party – a legacy of abuse, nepotism, and disorder in Gozo’s public service.
This Government has shown that it has the courage to address the problem. The PN only created it.
