GSD says ministers ‘should all say’ whether they back CM after Openshaw report 

The GSD has called on Government ministers to state publicly whether they back Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, after he said he had the “fulsome support” of ministers. 

The party said that if Mr Picardo had that support, “they should all say”. 

The Opposition noted that the Minister for Health, Gemma Arias-Vasquez, had this week said she backed a Chief Minister “who has been found to have attempted to interfere in a criminal investigation”, and asked what other ministers thought. 

“The GSD have brought a motion [in Parliament] of no confidence against Mr Picardo which is on the parliamentary agenda,” said Keith Azopardi, the Leader of the Opposition. 

“Ministers will need to decide whether to back him or sack him and there will be no hiding place on the issue when the time comes.” 

In a statement, the GSD said it had now been “over two months” since the Government received the McGrail Inquiry report and “almost three weeks” since its publication, adding that no minister had commented on the report apart from what it described as Ms Arias-Vasquez’s “forced answer” during the course of an interview with GBC on another subject. 

“Given the serious findings that the Chief Minister acted improperly and attempted to interfere in a criminal investigation, it is remarkable that ministers think they can get away with silence,” Mr Azopardi said. 

“The reality is that silence is acquiescence and amounts to support of the Chief Minister.” 

“Sooner or later all ministers will need to pronounce themselves on this question unless of course the Chief Minister is scared of allowing each minister a free vote on the issue and seeks to amend the no confidence motion to prevent them from voting on whether they have confidence in him.” 

The issue arose briefly during question time in Parliament on Tuesday in exchanges between GSD MP Damon Bossino and Housing Minister Pat Orfila on public housing. 

In prefacing one of his questions, Mr Bossino said the Chief Minister “ought to be resigning as soon as possible”. 

“The Chief Minister will not be resigning,” Ms Orfila replied. 

As the exchanges continued, Mr Bossino again insisted ministers “ought to be ready to seek her leader to resign as soon as possible”. 

“The Honourable Gentleman is getting very hot under his collar,” Ms Ofila replied.  

“Like I told you, there is no resignation here on this table.”