The Malta Independent 4 December 2024, Wednesday
View E-Paper

BCA CEO resignation confirms government's incompetence in construction sector - PN

Tuesday, 23 April 2024, 11:48 Last update: about 9 months ago

PN MP Stanley Zammit said that yet another resignation, that of the CEO of the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Jesmond Muscat, has confirmed the government’s incompetence in the construction sector.

In a statement on Tuesday, Zammit was reacting to the news of Muscat’s resignation, which was announced by the Justice and Construction Ministry this morning.

ADVERTISEMENT

It said that Minister Jonathan Attard was informed by the Chairman of the Board of the BCA that he had received the resignation letter of Muscat from the post of Chief Executive Officer of the Authority.

Zammit said that Ministers have continued to shirk responsibility and shift blame onto those they themselves appoint.

“Three days after another tragedy related to the construction sector, where authorities admitted they hadn't done their job to enforce laws, news emerged of the resignation of the BCA CEO. Once again, we see Prime Minister Robert Abela's government shifting all responsibility onto those they appoint, without taking any political accountability for what has happened,” Zammit said.

Zammit was referring to the death of an Albanian construction worker, Bari Balla, last Saturday, where he was found under the rubble after a ceiling collapsed in a construction site in Sliema.

He said that those who are politically responsible for the tragedies occurring without doing anything to enact reforms, cannot be the same person who should be executing reforms in the construction sector.

“Evidently, from the report released by the Public Inquiry into the death of Jean Paul Sofia, Abela did absolutely nothing except consult only with himself, thinking about how to increase expenses and waste time and continuing to play 'musical chairs' without implementing the much-needed reforms in the sector, for workers and residents affected by construction projects,” Zammit said.

He said that the Nationalist Party once again insists, as it has already done in a motion presented in Parliament, but unfortunately voted against by the Labour Party, that the government must present a report to Parliament every month on the implementation of the public inquiry recommendations, so that the necessary reforms are implemented.

  • don't miss