Updated | ‘We are not here to judge John Dalli’s innocence’ – Mario de Marco
PN deputy leader Mario de Marco says Opposition was questioning the Police Commissioner’s course of action.
The Opposition's protest against the Speaker's ruling had nothing to do with former European Commissioner John Dalli but it was about the course of action embarked upon by Police Commissioner Peter Paul Zammit, deputy leader for parliamentary affairs Mario de Marco said.
Addressing parliament calling for a revision of the ruling which found Opposition leader Simon Busuttil in breach of privilege, de Marco said Dalli had given years of service to the PN, the governments, the country and the Maltese.
"We are not here to pass judgement on John Dalli, but it's about the Police Commissioner," de Marco said.
"It is a fundamental principle that law and justice are applied equally to everyone, irrespective of whom that person is."
De Marco said that while the Prime Minister had all the right to disagree with the Opposition, "he has no right in keeping us from saying what we believe".
He added that Joseph Muscat had had every opportunity to deny any political interference had taken place. "Dr Busuttil's statement was not only made in parliament, but had been made twice before while addressing political activities," he said.
De Marco added that the ruling followed "a tit-for-tat" between Simon Busuttil and Joseph Muscat.
"Simon Busuttil spoke about political interference and the Prime Minister's reply was to gag the Opposition."
According to de Marco, the statement made by former police commissioner John Rizzo in court stating he had decided to arraign John Dalli - an arraignment which never took place - had required a reaction by both the government and the opposition.
"The public expected a reaction, because like us, questions were being raised. We both had the right and duty to speak out on this case. And the Opposition's reaction was based on the facts which emerged from the court and statements given by the Police Commissioner," de Marco said.
He said that "political interference" was derived after Zammit declared "no case" shortly after he was appointed to the point. "We saw how the police inspector leading the investigation had been assigned to other duties... the same inspector who had had disagreements with Zammit over the John Dalli case."
De Marco said it was curious how Zammit decided that John Dalli should not be arraigned.
The deputy leader fervently urged the Prime Minister to clarify matters.
"The people voted for a new way of doing politics. If the PM wants to say 'that's how things used to happen before', then he should remember that this is not what the people voted for. The Prime Minister has a majority vote because he promised a new style of politics.
"If he fails to do so, the result will be people fed up of the political class, losing all sense of respect and trust in politicians."
De Marco insisted that both government and opposition had to fight every day to earn and retain the people's respect.
He argued that the Prime Minister was in a position to know what was the Attorney General's advice and why the Police Commissioner believed there was no case against Dalli.
'An arrogant government'
The PN's deputy leader for party affairs Beppe Fenech Adami said it was almost unbelievable that while the Labour government was elected on meritocracy, accountability and transparency, "yet today the Opposition is being gagged from delivering its messages".
He described Schembri's speech "as a lecture in withholding freedom of expression".
Fenech Adami said that Labour's first six months in power were marred by "incompetence and arrogance".
The deputy leader, who took government to task over the number of appointments within the Army and the Police Force, also described the ministers' declaration of assets as "a parody".
Fenech Adami's tirade goes on, referring to the appointment of Sai Mizzi Liang as government's envoy to attract investment from Asia.
"There are people out there whose yearly salary amounts to Mizzi's monthly wage," he said.
According to the deputy leader, Muscat was "hypocritical".
"Because he went before the United Nations crying about the poor and the migrants but just two months before he was in Malta planning to pushback migrants who had just landed in Malta."