Bartolo attacks ‘Prime Minister’s arrogance’ over MCAST inquiry
Labour spokesperson for education Evarist Bartolo lambasted the prime minister yesterday as “arrogant” for ignoring his calls for an inquiry into the alleged modification of tendering requirements in the selection of private teaching centres for MCAST courses.
“The PN thinks it has some divine right to govern without the Labour Opposition carrying out its democratic duty to scrutinise the government,” Bartolo said.
The selection of additional teaching centres, required to accommodate the large number of applicants for the ICT course at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, had to be postponed because of legal issues.
The college was selecting teaching centres, as applicants for the course had exceeded the capacity at MCAST.
A centre that had tendered for the contract filed an appeal and a court case against the Contract Department’s selection of all five tenderers, after having previously allegedly selected just the one centre that satisfied the tender’s criteria.
Evarist Bartolo had asked the police to investigate the matter. As a court case and police investigations are under way, the process had to be temporarily stopped.
“If I were convinced that everything was in order, I wouldn’t call for an investigation.
“But it is unacceptable that after the criteria for the selection of these private companies are issued and the grades are awarded, they are later changed.
“Four out of five tendering companies did not achieve the required criteria. Suddenly, after a substantial change in the grades, all five companies satisfied the criteria and were selected.
“Who ordered the change in grades? It is the duty of the selection committee appointed by minister Austin Gatt and the Contracts Department to see that such selection is carried out seriously…
“I would have been neglecting my duty if I hadn’t asked for an investigation.
“And the prime minister is neglecting his duty by attacking me for carrying out my duty. This is double-faced politics: one that wants serious and clean politics, and the other that attacks whoever wants it to be serious and clean.”
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