Marsaskala’s mouthy mayor

Boss Meats, a butcher in Marsaskala, erected a platform and tent on the pavement outside his shop, blocking pedestrian access.

To add to the inconvenience, the butcher played loud music at all hours of the day. Residents were incensed.

One of the local councillors, John Baptist Camilleri, clarified through a Facebook post, that the council didn’t know that a tent was being erected, let alone approve the structure.

It turns out Labour’s Mayor, Mario Calleja, had unilaterally decided to give Boss Meats permission to erect that tent. Not only did Calleja fail to discuss this with the rest of the council, he didn’t even bother informing them.

You’d think the Mayor would apologise to the residents of Marsaskala for his oversight. You’d think he would apologise to the council for his overreach.

Instead, he viciously attacked the councillor who informed the residents that the council hadn’t given a permit for the butcher’s tent.

“From today onwards, the friendship between us is broken,” Mayor Calleja told his fellow councillor. The Mayor sarcastically accused the councillor that he “never learns”.

“You tried to create a storm in a teacup, simply to play the hero in the eyes of the usual handful of people,” Calleja continued.

The Mayor confirmed that the butcher had asked him for permission to erect his tent and that he “gave him (his) blessing as long as the establishment provided a security guard and made sure access for prams and wheelchairs was not impeded.”

But the butcher’s platform and tent severely restricted access, not only to wheelchairs and prams, but even to pedestrians. Yet Mayor Calleja defended the butcher.

“All the conditions were followed, but unfortunately the person who erected the tent did not leave enough space.” So it wasn’t the butcher’s fault, it was the man the butcher tasked to set up the tent who was at fault.

Mayor Calleja’s arrogance is just staggering. He seems to run Marsaskala like his own fiefdom, handing out permits without even having the basic decency of informing his council.

But can you blame him? That’s exactly the attitude adopted by his political masters – utter disrespect, untrammeled arrogance, and a staggering overbearing omnipotence.

There was absolutely no need for his vicious comments. His hostile remarks and petulant insolence was entirely unnecessary, especially on Christmas Eve.

Councillor John Baptist Camilleri had only issued a polite restrained message in response to queries raised by residents.

“While sending my best wishes to the commercial sector in Marsaskala, I confirm that the councillors were not aware, far less approved this tent. While I understand the (kind) gesture of the shop-owner, I do not agree with the idea of setting up a tent, for many reasons, amongst them that the location is dangerous, as there is already a danger to drivers and pedestrians, and because an inconvenience has been created to those who need to use the pavement near the tent… best wishes.”

Surely that message did not merit such a rude outburst from the Mayor. In the spirit of Christmas, Mayor Calleja retorted “the friendship between us is broken.”

Clearly Mario Calleja has no idea how to behave. Basic civility and respect should be a prerequisite for all councillors, especially the mayor.

But that’s the example set by Labour’s top brass – deal with constructive criticism with the fiercest, most hostile response possible. Turn even the mildest of comments into a battle.

Attack and denigrate anybody who questions or disagrees with your point of view. Disparage and smear anyone who doesn’t manifest total servility to your authority.

This isn’t the first time that Mayor Calleja’s behaviour has raised eyebrows. When Żonqor point was handed over to Sadden to develop the contentious American University of Malta, the Marsaskala Labour council had initially opposed the project but then changed tack and supported it.

Mayor Calleja had met Sadeen’s CEO and accepted local works as “gifts” from Sadeen, the Jordanian company behind AUM. Mayor Calleja was forced to admit that he “met Sadeen’s CEO about a week before our last council meeting and I asked him what the council would be gaining from the project…we asked for help in kind.”

Without any hint of embarrassment Mayor Calleja declared that “I will take what I can…we did what everyone else would do, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Where do you even start? That outlook crystallises not only Mayor Calleja’s attitude but the typical Labour mentality.

That could actually be Labour’s motto – “we’ll take what we can.” What’s even worse is that he thinks everybody else will sell his soul for a price.

In Mayor Calleja’s mind, principles are for fools, ethics are for imbeciles, and basic civility is for prudes.

It won’t surprise you that when the Marsaskala council decided that “the council is opposed to any application which includes the development of apartments” at the Jerma Palace Hotel site, Mayor Calleja went to meet the developers – and then completely contradicted the position of his council and its councillors.

“Yes I have talked directly to the developers,” he was forced to admit, “why shouldn’t Marsaskala have a hotel and upmarket development?” The developers had miraculously convinced him. He was suddenly in favour of a “boutique hotel accompanied by upmarket luxury apartments,” despite his council’s outright rejection of the proposal.

The council declared that “since this application includes apartments, it (the council) is against it”, adding that their position “applies to any application submitted on this site in the future”.

But their Mayor completely opposed them after his meeting with the developers. He even insisted that he was in favour of high rise development at the site despite the council’s stance against the designation of Marsaskala as a site for medium rise development.

When a motion, supported by Labour Deputy Mayor Desiree’ Attard and Din L-Art Ħelwa, was filed urging the government to buy back the Jerma site and turn it into an open space for the public, Mayor Calleja opposed it and the motion was rejected.

Mayor Calleja’s incivility, arrogance and suspiciously odd judgement should disqualify him from occupying any position within the council. That is not how a mayor should behave. The residents of Marsaskala deserve far better.