Repubblika demand Prime Minister stop attacks on institutions by his MPs

The Prime Minister must stop attacks on the institutions by government MPs, Repubblika said as it condemned Glenn Bedingfield’s outburst in parliament on Tuesday.

The rule of law NGO said Robert Abela must clearly declare whether his government wanted democracy, freedom and the rule of law to prevail.

“The Prime Minister must clarify his stand after Glenn Bedingfield’s vicious attack on this country’s institutions, including the Ombudsman, the Standards Commissioner, the judiciary, the independent media and civil society,” Repubblika said.

The head of government of an EU member state cannot remain silent when an MP on his side of the House accuses institutions of being part of “an octopus” working in a co-ordinated way to cause harm.

“Anti-democratic actions always started with incendiary speeches that remained unchecked… it reminds us of the Donald Trump’s accusations on the existence of a ‘deep state’ that led to a violent threat to democracy in the US,” Repubblika said.

The organisation was reacting to Bedingfield’s adjournment speech in parliament, during which he took several institutions to task after the police raid on Joseph Muscat’s private residence.

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