Junior minister hits out at PN’s ‘disgusting personal attacks’

Parliamentary secretary Ian Borg has taken the Nationalist Party to task for resorting to “disgusting personal attacks” which sowed division and showed a glaring lack of respect.

Speaking in Hamrun this morning, a week to the day before Christmas, the junior minister rebuked the Opposition for resorting to such attacks at this time of year, and said these were unfitting for a traditionally Christian Democratic party.

Borg’s remarks were made in the wake of reports by PN news organ il-mument which claimed that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is looking to replace his chief of staff Keith Schembri due to the latter’s “serious health problems.”

The report was met by disdain by the government as it said the report – which cited “sources close to Castille” – was “fake news and a lie from start to finish.” Similarly, the prime minister himself has refused to answer questions tabled by PN journalists, claiming that he will continue to do so until it withdraws its report on OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri.

And on Sunday, parliamentary secretary Ian Borg hit out at the “untrue” reports.

“The Opposition is worried because of the tranquillity and serenity in our country, so it is resorting to personal attacks on the health of people, and stooping to such low levels. I urge you to never play into their hands and not fall for provocations,” he said.

The parliamentary secretary also said that there was a “disagreement within the PN over its star candidates”, ostensibly in veiled reference to PN candidate and former TV presenter Salvu Mallia after the latter said that “every Labour supporter who opens his mouth ends up spewing garbage in the illusion that he is speaking reason”.