Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1356256
8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 MARCH 2021 INTERVIEW 'The Labour Party does not protect From the point of view of those who voted Labour in 2013 and 2017 – especially middle-of- the-road voters, who were attracted to Joseph Muscat's 'progressive, moderate' man- tra – the latest developments are bound to cause disillusion- ment: if not an outright sense of betrayal. Yet the Labour Party still refuses to condemn the behaviour of the Muscat ad- ministration. Do you still think that Muscat's legacy can be sal- vaged, in spite of everything? Let's put things into context. First of all, you are suggesting that middle-of-the-road voters feel 'disillusioned' for 'betrayed' over the legacy of the Muscat administration. I disagree. Be- cause that legacy also includes a strong economy; free childcare; improved education; a strength- ened healthcare service; a robust infrastructure; civil rights… all that, too, is part of the legacy of the Labour Party in government. And nobody can take it away…. But recent evidence suggests that members of the Labour government were involved in criminal acts… including, possi- bly, the murder of Daphne Caru- ana Galizia. Don't you think this casts a shadow over the legacy you have just described? Hold on: the Labour Party was in no way 'involved in the mur- der of Daphne Caruana Galizia'. God forbid. On the contrary: there are court procedures going on at the moment, which have led to the arrest of 11 people – including the ex-chief of staff of former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat – so there can be no doubt that the institutions are working… That case, however, is unrelat- ed to the Caruana Galizia mur- der. I was referring to the par- don request by the Degiorgio brothers, who claim that the crime itself was commissioned by 'a former Labour minister'… and, separately, that a sitting Cabinet member was also in- volved in the 2005 HSBC heist… Let's look at how those alle- gations surfaced, though. Two weeks ago, Jason Azzopardi mentioned the HSBC allegation in Parliament… protected by parliamentary immunity. The same goes for the allegation about the murder. It started with claims made by the Nationalist Party… which then got carried forward in this new context. Per- sonally, I don't feel comfortable with the fact that the Nationalist party has become the mouth- piece of criminals. As for the Presidential pardon request: that is something to be discussed by the Cabinet. In this case, one also has to take into the consideration the position taken by the Caruana Galizia family. Certainly, pardons are not to be dished out in the way Bernard Grech is now proposing: when, in a recent meeting, he suggest- ed that he would even give a par- don to the alleged mastermind behind the Caruana Galizia murder [Yorgen Fenech]… But if we're going to talk about this crime: let's stick to the facts. The facts are that – just 50 days after the murder – people were arrested and charged in court. This, in a country with a long history of unsolved crimes. Meanwhile, those court pro- cedures are still ongoing. So if anything, this shows just how strong our institutions are… and how they carry out their func- tions without fear or favour. It also shows – and I want to make this clear – that the Labour Party is not going to protect an- yone. If nothing else, the latest developments prove this beyond shadow of doubt. It shows that the institutions are working; that the Labour Party does not pro- tect criminals… in a nutshell, it shows what we really stand for. With all due respect, you seem to be minimizing the issue. Are you suggesting that all the rev- elations from the Caruana Gali- zia trial, and all the details now emerging from the arraignment of Keith Schembri, are nothing but a fabrication by the Nation- alist Party? No, I'm not saying that. And I'm certainly not minimising the murder of Daphne Carua- na Galizia, ether: it was a crime that shocked and disgusted all of Malta and Gozo. Of course, I wouldn't take it lightly. What I'm saying, however, is that I have full confidence that the institutions are functioning: in this, and other cases. I also take note of the statement by Po- lice Commissioner Angelo Gafà, who said that all the arrests, in connection with the Caruana Galizia murder, have been made. Now: if there are other issues In recent weeks, the Labour Party has been rocked by numerous revelations, from ongoing court cases, suggesting collusion between government officials and organised crime. Nonetheless, PL president RAMONA ATTARD puts up a combative defence of her party's imperilled legacy PHOTO: JAMES BIANCHI / MALTATODAY Raphael Vassallo rvassallo@mediatoday.com.mt