Alternattiva Demokratika chairperson Arnold Cassola has appealed to government to amend the Public Service regulations to reflect the country’s appreciation of the voluntary, unpaid work being done in the political field by a number of officials from all political parties.
“The attempt by government to put pressure on AD secretary-general Victor Galea to renounce his job as a teacher with the government service because of his voluntary, unpaid political role with AD smacks of intimidation and political discrimination. I appeal to Government to withdraw this absurd action immediately,” Arnold Cassola said, reacting to correspondence received by Victor Galea from the Office of the Prime Minister that he was not able to continue working as a teacher with the government service and retain his political role.
Stephen Cachia, deputy chairperson, said: “I would like to express AD’s strong solidarity, as well as my own personal solidarity, with Victor. In 19 years of being active on a voluntary, unpaid basis with AD while working with the government service as a teacher, assistant head and head of school, I have never been asked to make such a ridiculous choice. I am also unaware that any other officials below scale 5 in the government service, and who are also elected officials in the PN and MLP, have never been asked to make such a choice.”
Cachia said that the action against Victor Galea was even more ridiculous when one considers that a few years ago the Public Service regulations were amended to allow elected MPs working with the government service to retain their government post and keep on working while also serving as MPs.
“It is indeed ironic that in the case of Victor, we are talking about a completely voluntary role while in the case of MPs we are talking about a paid political role,” continued Stephen Cachia.
He appealed to government to amend the Public Service regulations to reflect the country’s appreciation of the voluntary, unpaid work being done in the political field by a number of officials from all political parties.
Concluding, Arnold Cassola said: “Hopefully, this is just the action of some overzealous bureaucrat trying to enforce some obscure regulation which had never been enforced previously and not something more sinister emanating from the OPM. I make a strong appeal for good sense to prevail and for the action against Victor Galea to be stopped immediately.”