It was a very intensive and historic week. The government is rushing a reform in Parliament to clampdown on Magisterial Inquiries and the person accused of commissioning the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia is free. The Labour Party had just attacked the free press in Parliament and Labour Party supporters are congratulating Yorgen Fenech on his freedom.
Yet, the official opposition, the Nationalist Party (not Jason Azzopardi), spent the week in Parliament demanding the resignation of the former prison director, Colonel Alex Dalli, from the security services. The Ombudsman released a report condemning the alleged abuse against prisoners under Colonel Dalli’s tenure. The Nationalist Party spent a week fighting this issue in the press and in Parliament.
Colonel Dalli is clearly a Labour political appointee, but this is not the way how to go about security matters. The Ombudsman also has his own personal preferences as to why he chose to investigate Colonel Dalli and not other more serious and ongoing issues in prison which can be even more damning, but less popular. And in any case, this is not the way to go about issues concerning security and military personnel. The Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri should very well resign, but Colonel Dalli makes no part in the political and security priorities that urgently need to be addressed. In addition, military personnel should also be adjudicated by military tribunals let alone be part of a political controversy.
All of this is just a distraction. The Leader of Opposition has been absent as an activist, an opposition lawyer was harassed in public, and the Labour government rolls over the judiciary with the weight of a criminal regime, and yet, the Opposition Leader wants the resignation of the Minister of Home Affairs because, among all things, allegedly a Colonel created harsh prison conditions. Even without entering into the merits of the case, the situation truly seems surreal as Labour Party supporters cheer an alleged murderer getting freed from jail.
I can’t fathom for one single moment how all of this is acceptable for Opposition Leader Bernard Grech. It’s like the Nationalist Party isn’t even relevant during what is a very important and significant week in Maltese history. It’s like it’s nowhere to be found.
Website Editor
Historian and Publisher
Leave a Reply