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MT 27 April 2016

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6 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 27 APRIL 2016 News Non-committed voters want Schembri and Mizzi to go JAMES DEBONO A majority of respondents who have not made up their mind on who to vote for in the next gen- eral election or whose intention is to abstain, want Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi and the PM's Chief of Staff, Keith Schembri, to resign. This is a clear indication that Labour, which is presently leading the PN by only two points when it comes to voting intentions, could end up penalised in a forthcoming election if the two close collabora- tors of the PM were to stay. The most vociferous category demanding Mizzi's and Schembri's resignation is non-voters who consti- tute 11% of the sample. In the last general elec- tion only 6% of voters did not cast their ballot paper. Among this cat- egory 57% want both Mizzi and S c h e m b r i to resign. O n l y 12% of n o n - voters w a n t M i zzi to remain in office. 10% want Schembri to remain in office. Among the 10% of voters who are undecided for which party they will vote, 53% want Mizzi to go. Undecided voters are a bit less keen on Schembri's resignation, with 49% expressing the opinion that the PM's chief of staff should re- sign. Only 11% of undecided voters want Mizzi to stay in office while 13% want Schembri to continue his work in Castille. Even among non-respondents, half of whom did not express an opinion, a relative majority of 36% want both officials to leave office while only 14% would like them to stay. The survey indicates that the only category, which wants both officials to stay, are Labour voters, 63% of whom want Konrad Mizzi to stay. 62% of Labour voters want Schembri to stay. Overall 51% want Mizzi to resign while 49% want Schembri to resign. Methodology The survey was held between Tuesday 19 and Thursday 21 April. The results were weighed to reflect the age and gender balance of the population. 803 respondents were contacted. 500 respondents ac- cepted to participate in the survey. The survey has a margin of error of +/-4.3 points. Should Konrad Mizzi resign? All respondents Non Voters Undecided Non Respondents Total non committed voters 50.6% 29.8% 19.6% 56.9% 12.1% 31% 52.8% 11.3% 35.9% 36% 14% 50% 50.1% 12.4% 37.5% Should Keith Schembri resign? All respondents Non Voters Undecided Non Respondents Total non committed voters 48.7% 31.2% 10.1% 56.9% 10.3% 32.8% 49.1% 13.2% 37.7% 36% 14% 50% 47.8% 12.4% 39.8% YES NO DON'T KNOW Should Konrad Mizzi resign? All respondents Non Voters Undecided Non Respondents Total non committed voters 50.6% 29.8% 19.6% 56.9% 12.1% 31% 52.8% 11.3% 35.9% 36% 14% 50% 50.1% 12.4% 37.5% Should Keith Schembri resign? All respondents Non Voters Undecided Non Respondents Total non committed voters 48.7% 31.2% 10.1% 56.9% 10.3% 32.8% 49.1% 13.2% 37.7% 36% 14% 50% 47.8% 12.4% 39.8% YES NO DON'T KNOW Unregistered voluntary organisations will not benefit from public funds MIRIAM DALLI AMENDMENTS to the Volun- tary Organisations Act have been launched for public consultation until July 6, Social Dialogue Minis- ter Helena Dalli said yesterday. Addressing a media conference with the Commissioner for Volun- tary Organisations, Kenneth Wain, the minister said the reviewed law would strengthen the Commis- sioner's power, giving him what was necessary legislatively to ensure compliance by the registered or- ganisations. Amendments to the legislation started in 2011 and continued un- der this administration. Legal con- sultants Ganado Advocates were retained. "We are allowing a longer period for consultation as we expect the amendments to generate huge in- terest," Dalli said. Wain, who has repeatedly called for a stronger role and stricter rules to regulate voluntary organisations, said the amendments were not about fine-tuning the law. "New principles will be intro- duced to ensure a law that reflects today's times," he said, adding that the Commissioner's duty would increase, to ensure that voluntary organisations follow the law. A loophole in the legislation al- lowed unregistered voluntary or- ganisations to benefit from public funds: once the amendments come into force, only registered voluntary organisations would receive such funds. The amendments will thus remove the minister's discretion. Making it obligatory for all volun- tary organisations to register would also help in the fight against money laundering and other individuals who might use such organizations for any underhand or criminal deal- ings. "It is not the first time that I'm asked about organisations suspect- ed of money laundering and they always turn out to be unregistered organisations," Wain told MaltaTo- day. The legislation describes volun- tary organisations as groups which are non-profit, serve a public pur- pose and which are autonomous. Organisations controlled directly by political parties or ecclesiastical institutions do not fall within the scope of the law. Organisations that do not skip the €5,000 threshold need not register but they must still inform the Com- missioner who would be keeping a separate register. The amendments will also change the way by which members of the Malta Council for Voluntary Sector are appointed to the board. Half of the board members will be elected. Should Konrad Mizzi resign? All respondents Non Voters Undecided Non Respondents Total non committed voters 50.6% 29.8% 19.6% 56.9% 12.1% 31% 52.8% 11.3% 35.9% 36% 14% 50% 50.1% 12.4% 37.5% Should Keith Schembri resign? All respondents Non Voters Undecided Non Respondents Total non committed voters 48.7% 31.2% 10.1% 56.9% 10.3% 32.8% 49.1% 13.2% 37.7% 36% 14% 50% 47.8% 12.4% 39.8% YES NO DON'T KNOW Negotiations with maritime hub developer concluded MIRIAM DALLI ABLECARE Oilfield Services Group, the preferred bidder for the development of the former Malta Shipbuilding site, officially announced the initial investment of €55 million into the Mediterra- nean Maritime Hub. The project to revamp the port area in the south of the island is set to create 150 quality jobs in the next 18 months, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat an- nounced. The development of a maritime hub is one of the first initiatives announced by the Labour government in its first budget. Presiding over the con- clusion of negotiations with Ablecare, Muscat ex- pressed his satisfaction in seeing the project being led by Maltese businessmen. "I am so proud that the best pro- posal came through the domestic industry. It is an innovative ven- ture which I hope will rekindle the trade and skills that have gone missing from our local economy," the Prime Minister said. He said that investors com- plained on two fronts: "There aren't enough people looking for a job – which is also a good sign because it means that the rate of unemployment is going down – but we are also lacking in the traditional trade we were once so renowned for." Muscat said he hoped that the Mediterranean Hub would rekin- dle enthusiasm for such trade and skills among youths. As part of the project, Ablecare also invested in a training acad- emy. The first graduations took place last year in April. Economy Minister Chris Car- dona argued that the project – as soon as it is approved by parlia- ment – would strengthen Malta's role as a maritime centre of excel- lence in the Mediterranean. "This site, which has been abandoned for decades, is the last industrial site that touches our shores. The government rec- ognised and evaluated the sig- nificance of such a site and we wanted to maximise its poten- tial," Cardona said, adding that the project was one of several that make up the government's eco- nomic strategy. The economy minister said the island had lost multiple opportunities to augment the maritime industry. "The Maritime Hub is both an extension of our traditional craft and part of the future of garnering positive economic results for our country." Ablecare chairman Paul Abela and Stephen Colville, CEO of the Mediterranean Maritime Hub, spoke of the mari- time hub's potential in providing a premier operational support base for the oil and gas industry in the Mediterranean region and beyond. The hub will operate as "a white label facility": where client com- panies can use it according to their own individual and specific needs. Keith Schembri Konrad Mizzi

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