PN Rips Into Speaker Anġlu Farrugia And Accuses Him Of Political Bias
The Nationalist Party has heavily criticised Speaker Anġlu Farrugia, accusing him of bias in favour of the ruling Labour Party.
Following a meeting yesterday, the PN MPs issued a statement to say that the people of Malta “deserve an impartial, serious and democratic Speaker, and not a politically biased one that acts in the partisan interests of the ruling party.”
“The PN MPs sadly note that Anġlu Farrugia’s actions are preventing the party from carrying out is constitutional role as Opposition. As a result, the 123,000 Maltese people who voted for the PN at the last election are being denied their constitutional right to representation.”
The party warned that Speaker Farrugia has displayed prejudice against the PN, bringing up the following examples from the current legislature.
-He handed out a number of inconsistent rulings that go against the spirit of the Standing Orders and practices of the Maltese Parliament.
-He denied every Opposition request for an urgent parliamentary discussion, including on the tragic death of Jean Paul Sofia, the €400 million Vitals fraud, the theft of over 200kg of cannabis from an AFM base, the closure of Air Malta, the Ombudsman’s report on abuse at the prison, and the resignation or firing of ex Finance Minister Edward Scicluna from his role as Central Bank Governor.
-He washed his hands from taking decisions against the Prime Minister, ministers and parliamentary secretaries for breaching ethics when, in his role as chairman of the Standing Committee on Standards in Public Life, he voted against or abstained from imposing sanctions on those found guilty.
-He didn’t grant PN MPs the same protection he gave PL MPs, even when they were clearly threatened and insulted and when fake allegations were made against them.
-He washed his hands when ministers didn’t respond to parliamentary questions on time or didn’t provide copies of documents that they referred to in their responses.
-He took no action to increase the number of sittings to discuss the large number of bills and motions presented by PN MPs, instead adhering to the minimum of one session every six months.
“The PN’s parliamentary group considers this to be abuse that shouldn’t be tolerated in a democracy. We will therefore request an urgent meeting with the Speaker, where we will explain our position and request immediate remedies,” the PN said.
“It is condemnable that Robert Abela, just like his predecessor, is using and controlling the Speaker to try and silence the PN and stop its MPs from carrying out its constitutional duties. It is also scandalous that the Speaker has turned himself into Abela’s partisan and anti-democratic tool.”