Ronnie Pellegrini, one of the late Lorry Sant’s henchmen and close personal friends, is Jason Micallef’s chief canvasser for the post of MLP secretary-general.
Ronnie, as he is known to friends, has been contacting MLP delegates to promote Micallef, and together with Labour executive council member Nettu Farrugia he has accompanied Micallef to meetings in MLP clubs.
Pellegrini was originally a GWU employee, but is seemingly seconded to the Labour party and is now fully employed by the party. He was one of Alfred Sant’s staunchest supporters, and a common sight at the former MLP leader’s press conferences before the election.
Yet Pellegrini’s style of canvassing has irritated other candidates for the post of secretary general. They told this newspaper that as a party employee, he should desist from getting involved in the campaign.
Pellegrini’s notoriety goes back to the days of the late Lorry Sant, the former Labour minister of works who was renowned for his brusque manners and his involvement in numerous corruption accusations.
Among Pellegrinis initiatives was the decision to erect a statue to the memory of Lorry Sant, even though many in the party did not agree with the idea at the time.
apart from Jason Micallef himself, the post of secretary general is being contested by Keith Grech, Darren Marmara, Afred Grixti, Joe Vella Bonnici and Joe Chetcuti. Micallef has been blamed by most party supporters for the poor electoral campaign in the last election.
In today’s issue, Maltese sister newspaper ILLUM reveals two other high profile names for the post of secretary general.