[WATCH] Abela says Cutajar resignation 'raises standards in public life'

Prime Minister Robert Abela insisted Rosianne Cutajar’s resignation from the parliamentary group, raises the bar in standards for those in public life.

“Today’s decision shows, and raises the standards of integrity in public life. The message I have sent to the whole parliamentary group is one of discipline and professionalism,” Abela told the media in his first reaction following Cutajar’s resignation.

The PM’s reaction came after a Labour Party executive committee meeting held at its headquarters in Hamrun on Monday afternoon.

On Monday afternoon, Cutajar informed the PM that she would be resigning from the party’s parliamentary group, and remaining on as an independent MP.

Meanwhile, in a Facebook post, Cutajar described the events that led to her resignation as an "inhuman, vindictive and personal attack" by someone who breached a court order and "escaped from the country". The reference was to blogger Mark Camilleri. She said nothing new came out of this "attack".

Abela said government MPs must continue to fulfil the promises made to the electorate, but within a climate of “integrity and discipline”.

“We have raised the bar in standards expected by those in public life,” Abela said.

The PM had initially defended Cutajar in his early reactions to the publication of the Whatsapp chats, calling the move “misogynistic”, while also stating she had already shouldered political responsibility when she resigned as Parliamentary Secretary in 2021.

He later told a Labour conference that every MP in the government’s parliamentary group “recognises their responsibility”.

Asked on the change of heart, Abela defended his earlier statements, saying he always distinguished between the two aspects of the situation.

“I insist that it was a misogynistic attack, and he did breach a court order, but you cannot ignore the contents of those messages,” the PM told journalists.

He was also asked why Cutajar was allowed to contest the general election, given the messages’ contents were relatively known through previous media reports.

“There is a difference between what the standards commissioner had investigated, and a ‘cardinal point’ which was revealed through the messages,” Abela said, referring to the MP’s comments that “everyone was pigging out”.

“There was an element of frustration among people, and I understand it,” he said.

The Labour leader ruled out Cutajar would be allowed to contest the general election on the Labour Party ticket in the future.

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