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Serkin argument | PM trusts police to take all necessary steps as Busuttil calls for public inquiry
Opposition leaders calls for public inquiry into 'the behaviour' of two former Nationalist MPs while Prime Minister expresses trust in police investigation.
4 August 2013, 12:00am
Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
4 min read
Nicky Azzopardi
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is trusting the police to take all necessary steps over the argument which erupted in the early hours of Sunday morning in Rabat.
The argument involved PN employee Nicky Azzopardi and former Nationalist backbenchers Franco Debono and Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando.
Opposition leader Simon Busuttil has called for a public inquiry into the behaviour of the former two Nationalist MPs.
In a reaction, the Prime Minister also noted "Busuttil's sense of proportion" over public inquiries: "The Opposition leader wants a public inquiry over an argument in a tea shop but remained silent over the biggest oil scandal in Malta."
Earlier
The Nationalist Party issued a statement condemning its former MPs Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando and Franco Debono for insulting one of its employees this morning.
The two former PN rebels "publicly insulted" all Nationalist Party supporters, the Opposition said.
Nicky Azzopardi, a law student who works with the Nationalist Party's information office, was "insulted and called names" in Rabat by Pullicino Orlando and Debono, the PN said.
In a statement expressing solidarity with Nicky Azzopardi, the PN said the employee was also attacked and assaulted by a person whose name not yet known.
Azzopardi is a keen critic of the former MPs on social media sites and was heavily involved in the PN's electoral campaign earlier this year.
Speaking to MaltaToday, Debono said that he bumped into Pullicino Orlando at the well-known pastizzi shop is-Serkin in Rabat at around 4:30am where he found Azzopardi calling the former MP 'purcinell' and threatening him that he knew his children.
"On arriving at the shop I heard Azzopardi call Jeffrey 'purcinell' and telling him that he was recording him," Debono said.
The incident apparently happened in the presence of a number of PN supporters, including the former partner of a Nationalist MP.
Debono explained that on hearing Azzopardi insult Pullicino Orlando, he advised his former colleague to ignore the PN employee.
"I then told Azzopardi that he could go ahead and record me but I did not touch him and nor did anybody else while I was there," he said.
Insisting that Azzopardi was clearly trying to provoke him and Pullicino Orlando, Debono added that it was a staunch PN supporter from Zurrieq who tried to calm down Azzopardi and shoved him away.
"Azzopardi kept provoking me and even called me a buffoon in the presence of police officers," Debono said, adding that he was ready to confirm this under oath.
On his part, Pullicino Orlando told MaltaToday that he was at the pastizzi shop together with a number of friends, including PN supporters, and that he would never insult Nationalists, including his own friends.
He added that photos published by blogger and Malta Independent columnist Daphne Caruana Galizia confirmed that he had gone to the shop to buy pastizzi and tea for his friends.
"I was then sitting outside the shop when Azzopardi approached me and although at first I did not recognise him, I heard him speak about my own children and I interrupted him. It is shameful. He was clearly trying to provoke me," Pullicino Orlando said.
Confirming that Azzopardi insulted him and said that he was recording the whole thing, Pullicino Orlando said that the PN should condemn Azzopardi's behaviour and not his or Debono's.
Insisting that at no point did he insult Azzopardi, Pullicino Orlando explained that the persons who were accompanying the PN employee took a step back and distanced themselves from the scene. At this point, some patrons, including Nationalist supporters pushed Azzopardi back, the former MP added.
"I admit that I might have raised my voice at one point, but it is only natural after hearing somebody speak in that way about my children," Pullicino Orlando said, adding that Azzopardi had in the past been his son's guest at his own home.
Contacted by MaltaToday, the police confirmed that an "argument" took place in Rabat early this morning and investigations are underway.
"The PN condemns without any reservations the scandalous behaviour of Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando and Franco Debono, who once again, proved that they are not fit to occupy public posts they were assigned by the Labour government."
Following the 9 March election, Pullicino Orlando who had resigned from the PN was retained in his post as chairman of the Malta Council of Science and Technology, while Debono who voted against the government in the crucial budget vote in December 2012, bringing the government down, was made Law Commissioner and coordinator of the Constitutional reform by the new Labour government.
The Opposition insisted that the behaviour of its former MPs "should not be tolerated" and should be condemned by all those who believed in full respect in a democratic society.
The PN called on the police to carry out investigations and bring to justice all those who, in one way or another, assaulted Nicky Azzopardi.
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M'ghanhomx x'jaghmlu l-pulizijja, l-qrati u l-magistrati. Joqghodu jinhlew fuq dawn ic-cuccati tal-Busu. Dan Busuttil minghalih li t-tattici tal-passat tat-tixwix u biza' mill-babaw ghadhom validi sal-lum. Jekk is-sinjur tal-PN li qieghed issostni li qala' tajijra u xeba minnghand JPO u FD ghandu dritt ifittixhom bil-ligi imma mhux minn fondi publici. Mela hasbu li ghadhom fil-gvern tal-PN jew?
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What I find strange is how come the PN media and the queen of bile's blog are full of photographs of JPO inside Serkin, BEFORE the alleged incident started. I mean who on earth goes in a pastizzi shop to take photos? And why take photos of JPO in particular? And how come no photos of the alleged fight where Azzopardi and the Queen of Bile are claiming that he was hit by JPO? Normally one takes videos and photos of a fight. Youtube is rife with such videos (fights on public transport, in the roads etc). But in this case, the photos were taken before, as if by having 'before' photos one can justify what allegedly happened afterwards?
This all smells like a set-up to me!
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At 5am after a party night out one wonders who would not be in a state of the 'blabbering fool', I think the buck would have stopped there, that is, 3 fools blabbering at each other ,had not 1 opportunist thrown a punch at Mr. Azzopardi, no one would have called in the police and nobody would have known anything else about this early morning scuffle.
So it's a pity that the real culprit of the whole story the one who threw the punch has not come forward or has yet been identified by witnesses, happy about all the fuss he has created.
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At 5am after a party night out one wonders who would not be in a state of the 'blabbering fool', I think the buck would have stopped there, that is, 3 fools blabbering at each other ,had not 1 opportunist thrown a punch at Mr. Azzopardi, no one would have called in the police and nobody would have known anything else about this early morning scuffle.
So it's a pity that the real culprit of the whole story the one who threw the punch has not come forward or has yet been identified by witnesses, happy about all the fuss he has created.
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dan Nicky Azzopardi mhux xi wiehed milli qieghed fil LISTA ghal barra mil impjieg ux? forsi miskien kien daqxejn MAHRUQ ghal shabu in nazzjonlisti u mar hemm biex jaqla l-inklwiet halli jigbed SIMPATIJA lejh. Ahjar jiccekkja jekk XMUN hallaslux il kontribuzjoni ma jmurx ikun wiehed min dawk li l-partit nazzjonalista zamm ghandu l-kontibuzzjoni li suppost ghadda lid dipartiment.
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It's interesting to compare PN apologists reaction to this incident with when a university student challenged Austin Gatt on the topic of Public Transport and called him a f***ing w**ker. Back then the student was demonised and AG portrayed as the victim. Now it's a dentist and a lawyer who are demonised and the student is the 'hero'. How times and standards change, according to one's political affiliation!
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The kiddo seems that he still can't digest the great defeat his little party had, and the ''Pastizzi'' he ate gave him more indigestion. Grow up ! The citizens are not gullible.
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This must be the orchestrated new way to rekindle some fighting spirit into the downfallen and ashamed GonziPNisti now being carbon copied and metamorphosing into SimonPNisti. Well, let me state the opinion of an unbiased, uncommitted, intelligent, sensible Maltese citizen, consumer and voter. This "new way" WILL NOT WORK!!! It would have been far better for Simon to apologise and beg forgiveness on behalf of Gonzi, Gatt and most PNisti regarding the colossal OIL scandal, the likes of which cannot be matched locally. Does Simon expect us to vote for MEP's on the basis of same "rikotta" rumble, or on the PN's performance in administration? If he believes that, then he will not even retain his two seats!!!
Joe Tanti •
Mela dan Nicky Azzopardi haseb li dwn l-exPN huma xi zewg pastizzi li huma bhal dawk li kien qieghed jiekol. Dak il-kliem kontra uliediek trid tkun veru pastizz sabiex ma tirrispondihx.
Ara dawk it 8 haddiema tal Independence press sabuhom pastizzi (jew lumi) ghax wara 40 sena xoghol tawhom daqqa ta sieq u tefahom l-barra.
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This story is only good for one group - pastizzi sellers. Sure to benefit their business.
Paul Sammut •
This Simon doesn't miss a trick.
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First of all it wasn't "an argument" but an aggresssion. moreover, "the former Nationalist backbenchers Franco Debono and Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando" are today veru senior government officials and their behaviour is shameful. Typical marmalja.
John Mifsud •
Is this the same Nicky Azzopardi who lent his name to a blog a year or two ago, which then disappeared without a trace after people recognised an uncanny resemblance in style, syntax, etc to another (in)famous local blog?
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Probably another AG coming up
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In such cases a breathlyser should have been used on the three of them. Who know? May be someone was a bit drunk.
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Looks like in this so called Democratic country you can't have a pastizz in peace,
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"The two former PN rebels "publicly insulted" all Nationalist Party supporters, the Opposition said" How childish is this headline? I and many others insult the PN, the PL and the AD parties all the time and it stops right there. Don't use unfortunate headlines to attract voters, it is beneath Party intelligence and Party standards. Mummy,Mummy the man called my political party a name, Boohoo, Boohoo. Get over it PN this is no way to run an airline. Nicky Azzopardi can file a complaint with the police and let them figure out who started this, besides calling the PN or PL names is not new. Hope the PN is not trying to create a mountain out of a molehill to gain political sympathy.
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Everybody is jumping to conclusions before all the facts are known. We don't know who started the provocation and there are plenty of witnesses. Let the police do their job and find out who the real culprit is. At this stage, no one PN and PL has any business judging anybody and calling people names is not going to solve anything. The Media, all the media has to remain neutral until the facts come out. Again you cannot judge the people by the colour they wear, because one might be in for a big disappointment. I think everybody is going a bit overboard using politics as a weapon. Some of the people that are living by and on politics should find themselves a new hobby, maybe trying to figure out how to stop illegal immigration..
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Fascinating how these individuals are all driving around buying pastizzi and "tea" in the middle of the night. I thought most people gave up such nocturnal escapades in their early 20's. Or are they all early risers on the way out fishing? :-)
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So if you call me a pulcinell and tell me ma tisthix, I am supposed to say thank you? The full story will come out later but for the moment one can only say that a massive electoral defeat and eating too many pastizzi are bad for the stomach.
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My my, The N.P are calling the Police to carry out an investgation. What happens if the Police will find that the culprit was Nicky Axzzzopardi and take action against him? Will they start screaming that the Police are harassing N.P. supporters? Where were the N.P. saints when someone told a traffic offender "SUQ HAWN JIEN" or when this same person shouted outside the Law Courts "FEJNHOM IL-LABURISTI"? Was this person respecting the law or democracy? Halluna u morru nhbew u tkompux tirredikolaw irwiehkom.
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jiena ma nistax nimmaggina lill jeffrey orlando u franko debono immorru go post ir rabat flerbgha u nofs ta filghodu biex jaqqallaw argument jew glieda.herqan biex inkun naf il fatti kolla
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Poor Nicky.... Don't worry. One day you will grow up and learn to take defeat graciously.
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Whom should we believe? in the old days I used to believe anything the PN said. Not anymore I'm afraid.
David Bongailas •
Could this be a decoy from the news revealed by MaltaToday this morning regarding Simon Bsutill ignoring the PN employees fired earlier ithis week? Cause it definitely looks and sounds like it. And by the by before the usual blue eyed contributors start harping about the eighties and all the la bla bla that comes with it......as far as I know it was the PN who accepted JPO and FD as candidates in it's name.
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Mela tal-PeeNne issa saru imhalfin huwm u jaqtghu il-kawzi huma. Kif jafu min ghandu tort jew ragun jekk l-investiggazzjonijiet tal-pulizija ghadhom ghaddejin? Jew qeghdin jahsbu li ghadhom huma fil-gvern u qeghdin jaghmlu bhal ma dejjem ghamlu, jiggifieri jindahlu lill-pulizzija u jiprovaw jaghtu l-impressjoni li huma l-vitmi?
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Poor Nicky...don't worry, one day you will grow up and learn how to take defeat graciously.
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This is big news. Former PN MPs insult PN employee and the party issues a public statement for headline news. It shows what state of mind this country is in. A hurricane is on its way and we are playing with papermache figurines on the terrace.
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This fine, young, PN activist must have consumed a pastizz too much, after a night of reflection and prayers no doubt! After all, as the saying goes: It takes a "purcinell" to recognise a "purcinell"!
