Parliamentary Secretary for Public Works abuses incumbency with tour of projects in home districts

Parliamentary Secretary for Public Works Omar Farrugia has been on a whirlwind tour of the electoral districts he’s contesting, using public resources as marketing tools for his personal re-election campaign by announcing 10 projects in those localities since the start of the year.

Farrugia, who is the youngest member in Prime Minister Robert Abela’s Cabinet, appears to have taken a leaf out of his colleagues’ electoral playbook by using his office to score brownie points with his constituents in the fifth and sixth electoral districts.

In total, the Parliamentary Secretary’s office issued press releases highlighting three initiatives in Mqabba, two in Kirkop, and one each in Birżebbuġa, Qrendi, Safi, Żurrieq, and Siġġiewi. All seven towns are located in the fifth and sixth districts. Mqabba is Farrugia’s hometown, where he previously served as mayor.

Farrugia’s repeat visits to his hometown were centred around extensive refurbishment works carried out in Mqabba Square and the promotion of a family-friendly event called iż-żunżana ddur ddur, which the Parliamentary Secretary’s office co-organises with Mqabba’s local council.

On 17 March, Farrugia visited Kirkop during works related to water supply and sewage processing alongside Energy Minister Miriam Dalli. Just six days later, Farrugia was in town again after the Public Works Department completed refurbishment works to restore a derelict boċċi club.

The same approach was adopted to win over regatta enthusiasts in Birżebbuġa, who are set to get a new clubhouse courtesy of taxpayer funds.

The Parliamentary Secretary also announced new facilities for tour operators lining up Wied iż-Żurrieq’s picturesque coastline, a refurbishment project for Qrendi’s Pjazza tal-Ħniena, refurbishment works at Siġġiewi FC’s premises, and regeneration works at Safi’s parish centre.

Half of these announcements were made in the period leading up to the announcement of the general elections and shortly after, further indicating that they were all timed to maximise Farrugia’s exposure to potential voters.

While announcing a raft of multi-million-euro proposals as part of the Labour Party’s electoral campaign, ministers across the board are also using their offices to announce targeted initiatives in their constituencies, achieving a wider reach with voters than other candidates.

Just last week, Inclusion Minister Julia Farrugia announced that a respite centre to be run by Aġenzija Sapport is “40% complete”. The centre is located in Dingli, a town located in the minister’s electoral district.