Energy Minister Miriam Dalli faced a barrage of public anger and ridicule after most of Gozo was left without electricity overnight following two major faults in Enemalta’s high-voltage network.
Hundreds took to Dalli’s Facebook page to condemn the government’s handling of the latest energy failure, accusing her of incompetence, demanding her resignation and dismissing her statement as more “empty words”.
Large parts of Gozo were once again plunged into darkness on Friday evening after two separate faults developed in 33kV underground cables. The outages continued throughout the night and into Saturday morning, affecting residents, businesses, restaurants, hotels and tourists during intense summer heat.
Enemalta listed parts of Victoria, Fontana, Għajnsielem, Għarb, Għasri, Kerċem, Munxar, Nadur, Qala, San Lawrenz, Sannat, Xagħra, Xewkija and Żebbuġ as affected. Outages were also reported in Xlendi and Marsalforn.
The first fault was located in Xewkija, while the second was eventually traced to a cable section near Enemalta’s distribution centre in Comino.
Dalli issued a brief statement shortly after 1.30 am, saying she was in direct contact with Enemalta and Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri.
“I fully understand the inconvenience and difficulties being experienced by residents, businesses and tourists,” she said, adding that restoring electricity was the immediate priority.
Her intervention was met with an overwhelmingly hostile response.
“Understanding is not enough, Minister. When will you act?” one commenter asked.
Anger against the Energy Minister is palpable
Another told her: “When a problem persists, it is no longer a problem but incompetence.”
Others said Dalli’s statement amounted to a repetition of the same excuses issued during successive summers.
“The same message for the past four years,” one resident wrote, while another said: “Summer after summer and nothing changes. You should be ashamed, if you know how.”
“You shine at incompetence. Not fit for purpose,” another commenter said. “Where is the planning you boast about? You are only capable of posting reels.”
Several directly demanded her resignation.
“Resign today, not tomorrow,” one wrote, while another told Dalli: “In a normal country, when a minister faces a crisis like this, they resign.”
Another commenter said Dalli should not even have published the statement because it only made her appear “more ridiculous”.
“Silence is golden,” another wrote.
Residents described spending between nine and 14 hours without electricity. Concerns were raised about elderly and vulnerable people, medicines requiring refrigeration, spoiled food and damage to electrical appliances.
One Marsalforn resident said his elderly mother had been trapped in her apartment because the lift was not working. Another said a relative became stuck in a hotel lift and required assistance from the Civil Protection Department.
“You literally risk killing vulnerable people through your incompetence,” one angry commenter told Dalli.
Others linked the recurring outages to the government’s economic model and rapid population growth.
“You ordered food for 100 people and invited 125,” one commenter said, accusing the government of expanding the population without strengthening infrastructure.
“Go and speak to Bobby and start reducing the 14,000 foreigners a year instead of adding them,” another wrote.
Several asked how the government had spent the €140 million it claims to have invested in the electricity distribution network during the past three years.
Enemalta said generators were being deployed but warned that supplies could remain intermittent while available electricity was distributed among affected areas.
PN leader Alex Borg called for political accountability, saying businesses were losing money and families were suffering.
The online reaction showed that public patience with Dalli and the government’s recurring summer energy failures is wearing increasingly thin.
