Labour leader hits out at ineffective management of justice, police units

Opposition leader Joseph Muscat has called on Home Affairs minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici to shoulder his political responsibility in the management of the country's justice and home affairs, in his address to the House on a motion of censure against the minister.

"We're asking Mifsud Bonnici to shoulder his responsibility the same way we are taking responsibility for this motion... and we have limited our criticism to his political work, despite government's accusations that we're being vindictive," Muscat told the House.

Muscat referred to the resignation of Charles Mangion in 1998 over an incorrectly awarded amnesty to a prisoner. "Mangion resigned when Tonio Borg asked that he shoulders political responsibility. I am sure there was no interest by Borg in seeking to attack Mangion's family," Muscat said, referring to allegations of vindictiveness against Mifsud Bonnici.

In his speech, the Labour leader said the pervasive problems inside justice and home affairs had been the result of warped decisions taken over the years.

Referring to the work of the police corps, Muscat said he expected as a citizen that the force is equipped with good legislation, a proper framework within which to work, and human and financial resources. "We cannot accept out country being ranked alongside Uzbekistan on the US human trafficking watch-list," Muscat said. "If we fall down another tier on the US watch-list, the corps will not be in a position to keep receiving certain aid it is getting right now."

He reminded the House that a law passed to guarantee suspects the right to a lawyer during interrogation had never been implemented. "The result is that suspects guilty of an offence have been let off scot free because they were not allowed a lawyer to assist them."

He reiterated claims by Michael Falzon that the police force was demoralised due to a lack of management and investment in the force. "I can confirm senior police officers feel like they are riding bikes while criminals are flying on jets, with the lack of technology at their disposal. Technology is not just about a new fleet of cars," Muscat said.

The Labour leader also said the Opposition would uphold its pledged to legislate a police trade union, with all rights except those to strike.

In talking of the justice sector, he turned his attention to newly appointed minister Chris Said, dubbing him 'the Facebook minister' after he was entrusted to see to the debate generated on the PN's Facebook pages in its outreach campaign.

"Today the Freedom Of Information Act is still not yet in force because particular ministers were pressured in delaying it... there was an entire department under Carm Mifsud Bonnici that took eight months to work on the law, because the orders from above were not to do anything about it," Muscat said.

The Opposition leader also criticised the drafting of the Whistleblowers' Act, which does not offer full protection to those who uncover acts of corruption and that the law is not retroactive. "It's a travesty of justice and democracy. How can one be taken seriously with such a sacrilege of democracy?"