Watch: Minister Anton Refalo Invites Julie Zahra To Sing At His Home, Causing Uproar In Parliament
Parliament got a bit heated yesterday afternoon when Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo mockingly invited PN MP Julie Zahra to sing at his home.
Zahra asked Refalo when he intends to return a 19th-century British-era marker from his home, insisting it is part of Malta’s national heritage and has no right to keep it for himself.
“Perhaps I can come and see the stone marker myself seeing as it’s not open to the public,” she said. “Why is it at your house when it should be the public’s to enjoy? When will you return it to the people”
Refalo responded with a jibe at Zahra, who is a singer and music teacher and had famously represented Malta at the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest.
“She can come to my place whenever she wants,” he said. “I’ll welcome her and she can sing if she wants to and do whatever she wants.”
While his PL colleagues found Refalo’s remark amusing, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech was having none of it.
“We shouldn’t tolerate an MP or minister attacking someone over their skills and talents,” he insisted.
After some commotion, Refalo said he “didn’t know it’s offensive to tell someone to sing” but Speaker Anġlu Farrugia said his tone of voice could have hurt the MP.
“I never attacked any MP and if she feels hurt then I apologise… I have no problem with apologising but I have never attacked anyone in Parliament,” Refalo concluded.
This isn’t the first time Zahra has faced jibes over her singing career. During the 2022 election debate, Inclusion Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli told Zahra in a debate that “we’re not singing on a stage here,” a comment that was criticised by many within the artistic community as being disrespectful to performers.
What do you think about the minister’s remark?
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