Owen Bonnici Reacts To Court’s Daphne Memorial Decision: Proof Separation Of Powers Exists
Education Minister Owen Bonnici has said a Constitutional Court’s ruling against his decision to clean up the Valletta protest memorial to Daphne Caruana Galizia is proof that separation of powers exists in Malta.
“The court’s decision shows that our country’s institutions work with respect towards the rule of law and that the courts hands out their decisions independently of the executive,” Bonnici said.
When Bonnici was still Justice Minister, and politically responsible for the Cleansing Directorate, he had been taken to court by Repubblika activist Manuel Delia over repeatedly ordering government cleaners to clear the protest memorial outside the law courts.
Yesterday, the courts ruled that the incessant cleansing was an act of censorship, and was stifling the activist’s freedom to protest and freedom of expression, prompting Repubblika to call for Bonnici’s resignation.
Opposition leader Adrian Delia also criticised the minister, warning that his decision to clean the memorial instigated division and hatred among the Maltese people for years.
“I expect the Prime Minister to address this and take the necessary steps,” he said. “A sector as important to our children as the education sector must be led by an exemplary person.”
However, Abela, who had recently announced that the memorial will no longer be cleared, said Bonnici shouldn’t be made to resign just because the courts disagreed with his executive decision.
Bonnici referred to this new policy and said he will not take lessons from Delia about how to act in an exemplary manner.
“I’m sorry to say but I don’t take lessons from Adrian Delia about how to act in an exemplary manner,” he said. “You don’t need to ask me, you can ask his own party about him.”
READ NEXT: 12-Year-Old Boy And 19-Year-Old Woman Grievously Injured Among Five People In Bormla Car Crash
