The Labour Party has condemned a statement made by PN MP Karol Aquilina in Parliament.
During his intervention in a Parliamentary debate over a bill that includes the government’s proposals to change the way magisterial inquiries are launched, Aquilina said: “This is a dictatorial government that wants to capture power from all State organs and keep it in its hands to do as it wants, abuse as much as it wants, steal as much as it wants, kill whoever it wants.”
At this point PL MPs objected, and Justice Minister Jonathan Attard called on Aquilina to retract the statement that government wants to kill.
Asked by Deputy Speaker David Agius if he is saying that the government ordered someone to be killed, Aquilina said: “I am saying the government wants to kill someone.” Agius asked him to explain what he meant by this, and Aquilina said he did not mention anyone, “I spoke about the government and did not mention anyone.” There were protests from the government benches.
Agius said that he understood what Aquilina said and also understood what the Speaker had previously said with regards to collectivity and said Aquilina can continue with his speech.
Minister Attard said that the government is the Executive composed of the Cabinet of Ministers. “He said the Cabinet of Ministers ordered the murder of someone. He must substantiate it. There is collectivity in Cabinet, not you point at the Cabinet of Ministers, the executive, and say that it ordered the murder of someone.” Aquilina said the minister didn’t like this. Agius asked Aquilina to clarify what he said.
Aquilina said: “I already said that this is a government that, with the way it is acting, if it wanted to kill someone it can and does not want anyone to hold them responsible for their actions.”
In a statement, the PL said: “The Labour Party condemns the serious allegation made by Shadow Minister for Justice Karol Aquilina when, this evening in Parliament, he said that the Government is amending magisterial inquiries to be able to kill someone.”
“At no point did Karol Aquilina substantiate his claim. The Labour Party remarks that such lies do no credit to those who spread them, despite any intention to attack the Government side. The Labour Party calls on Bernard Grech to condemn this statement made by one of his own MPs. This senseless declaration demonstrates the depths of hysteria and political extremism, in its worst form, that have taken hold of the Nationalist Party,” the PL said.
