Lo and behold, even Jason Micallef wanted a public inquiry. He publicly announced that if Repubblika, Occupy Justice and the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation hadn’t declared they were attending the vigil, he would have been there. “Tonight, because of them, I will not attend the protest,” he declared.
Micallef – the Valletta Cultural Agency Chairman and former ONE chairman and the staunchest of Labour stalwarts – took a position against Robert Abela and his 39 MPs.
He is not alone among Labour’s grandees who feel disgusted and appalled at Abela’s infantile foot stamping.
Micallef is one of many thousands of ‘Laburisti sal-mewt’ (Labour till death) ashamed that their own party leader coerced his MPs to pick a fight with the grieving mother of the young man killed in his prime under an illegal development.
Micallef is just one of a multitude of Labour officials who know that Abela let his ego and arrogance push his parliamentary party beyond the limits of decency.
The respected Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca didn’t mince words. The Labour Party, she announced, must always be on the workers’ side. How can Labour position itself in direct confrontation with parents fighting for justice for their innocent son’s life, cut short while at work?
Evarist Bartolo, Conrad Borg Manche’ and Simone Cini all took a clear position against their leader. They all openly and boldly supported Jean Paul Sofia’s cause. They all finally found the courage to stand up for what is manifestly right – and against the petty, childish stubbornness of the spoilt Robert Abela. Even the General Workers’ Union joined the call for a public inquiry.
Joseph Muscat declared that he is 100% behind a public inquiry to look into deaths at construction sites. “There should be a public inquiry,” Muscat declared, piling pressure on the beleaguered Abela. Muscat might have attended the vigil hadn’t he been “currently abroad”.
Even Muscat’s employer, Malta Developers’ Association President Michael Stivala, commented that the association doesn’t have any objections against a public inquiry. “We believe that it is important to have a transparent, accountable and rapid process in place to investigate this tragedy and any tragedy in all places of work.”
So Jason Micallef is in good company. Practically the whole country wanted a public inquiry. Everybody wanted justice for Jean Paul Sofia and for all those who, like him, met their tragic end on construction sites. The only person in Malta who still steadfastly and stubbornly opposed it was Robert Abela.
But Jason Micallef wasn’t going to take a stand against his own party leader without also attempting to take a swipe at his eternal foes – Repubblika, Occupy Justice, and the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation.
In the process, Micallef made an utter fool of himself.
“The right to protest is a right which I will keep defending until my final breath,” Micallef pompously announced. That great champion of free speech and democracy Jason Micallef will be there to guarantee your right to protest. But not if you protest against Labour.
According to Micallef, if you protest against “the government of the day”, Labour, that is, you should have no such rights.
“The beauty of protest is that genuine people from different facets of life come together for one reason,” he announced, “people who genuinely believe in the cause”. So who decides whether a protester “genuinely” believes in the cause or not, Jason Micallef?
Micallef then tied himself up in knots. He sought to explain what he meant – only making things worse.
“Then there are others who don’t mind taking advantage of any cause to protest…those who take advantage of anything and anywhere to protest against the government of the day, those whose only cause is to acquire power at all costs, including if it means taking advantage of others’ unfortunate human tragedies.”
These, Micallef decided, have no right to protest because, according to him, they are not genuine. Because they protest too much, about everything. But mostly because they protest against Labour.
So according to Micallef, you have every right to protest – he’ll defend your right to protest until his final breath – but only if you protest about anything that’s not Labour. Micallef has no idea how ridiculous he is. He has no clue how anti-democratic his statements are. But Micallef honestly articulates his true convictions. He’s certain that those critical of Labour shouldn’t be allowed to protest and shouldn’t be given a platform to voice their views.
This is nothing short of authoritarianism. Micallef is voicing his desire to stifle dissident voices. Micallef wants to silence those he considers not to be “genuine”. Micallef wants to deny critics of “the government of the day” the fundamental right to protest. Micallef wants to make a distinction between those who are “genuine”, meaning those who are on Labour’s side, and those who are not. And we all know who Micallef has in mind.
Micallef deviously casts aspersions, accusing Repubblika, Occupy Justice and the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation of “taking advantage of others’ unfortunate human tragedies”. How low can you stoop? Having endured the barbaric murder of their mother, wife and daughter, those members of the Caruana Galizia Foundation are now being accused by Jason Micallef of “taking advantage of others’ unfortunate human tragedies”.
Jason Micallef is utterly disgraceful. But not half as disgraceful as Robert Abela.
When Abela finally realised everybody had turned against him, just minutes before a massive vigil was due to start, he caved in and announced a public inquiry.
Having subjected the family to months of suffering, Abela, the political opportunist, stepped away from the precipice. His only objective was to save his skin, to avert a humiliating public condemnation of his callousness.
Totally detached from reality, Abela had the audacity (or stupidity) to gatecrash Sofia’s vigil. Abela turned up on the steps of Castille expecting a hero’s welcome.
Instead, he was chased away with raging chants of “Mafia” and “Shame on you”.
Mr. Cassar – I fully agree with your opinion piece except for the penultimate paragraph. Robert Abela was not expecting a hero’s welcome – he is spoilt but not that stupid.
It was a provocation to demonstrate that he is the emperor of this country as he disregards Parliament, the judiciary, the useful idiots in his parliamentary group who vote as he orders them to, and most of all what he considers as ‘the peasants’ that were protesting in Castille Square.
It was a PR stunt to demonstrate his power and what his advisors think as strength.
He was pissed off because Muscat interrupted his boating holiday. His cabinet members were pissed off they they were shown to be a herd of lackeys , who do what they are told , and have to , or else. Yes mi-lord , uttered the Cabinet
Proves yet again that the infamous word used by EZL which has become more of a commonplace in Malta ever since that day, wasn’t ‘unfounded’ and reflects perfectly to the PLers, big and small.
Everyone in the PL is being treated now like a ‘Gahan’ and it doesn’t stop with the PL voters only. Thanks to PM Robert Abela.
‘The emperor of this country’ who disregards Parliament, the judiciary and comands the useful idiots in his parliamentary group who vote as he orders them to.
This part of your comment really brings it to the point and to have it confirmed, it merely takes an exchange of comments with the diehard Laburisti on the MT website. Hardly anybody of them would object the way PL leaders have acted in the past and act in the present.
They are all for the ‘strong leader’ which merely translates into the ‘dictator’ who leads and is not to be questioned. A person like being ‘enthroned’ who can act on a basis that is akin to the absolutism of gone monarchies. The party ‘sheeps’ have to follow and can bloke at times, but always ‘get back and stay in line’. That’s ‘the spirit’ of them and the PL.
When one tells them that what constitutes a good leader is a person that has the capability to convince people and not just to order them, you would get some laughs from them or be considered as an idiot. They don’t realise that the real ones who act in the sense of the aforesaid term are just they themselves.
Today, the Times of Malta has an article about some unrest in the PL but no one is to mount a leadership challenge. I am not surprised at all.
For a considerable time, while reading articles and following the developments in Malta, the downfall of the PL in power is developing into various acts. Not yet to be counted, but it continues step by step and the way is downwards and this is due to all the things one is by now used to know from the PL.
Shame that both parties are the same …we need a third party to put these 2 in their place
Well said
Jason waqa gha cajt gab b iskuza ghl ta republika u l ohrajn.
Mela Jason ridt jatakka personalment li robert abela.
Ma ninsewx li il hard core laburista ma igibuhx lil Abela imhabba missieru George ghax George ghalihom kien İTTRADİXXA LİL PARTİT FİZ ZMİEN ALFRED SANT.
Ghandi hbieb tieghi li qaluli dawn l affarijiet fuq GEORGE ABELA
This is just another story of the hypocrisy of the PL hypocrites. Double standards, wherever on looks and still, they don’t realise themselves that they are on the wrong track. They have abandoned the workers long ago, with Joseph Muscat who sold the soul of the PL to greedy capitalism and corruption.
It is very welcome to know that Repubblika, Occupy Justice and the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation are showing their solidarity with the mother of the late Jean Paul Sofia. They are the proven better half of the Maltese society and that is certainly what irks the greedy and selfish PLers most. No matter who, from the old PL guard, speaks up against PM Abela, he’s shown that he doesn’t give a damn about it. Abela is the PM of the twists and turns, but not a reliable one.
The hypocrisy shown by Joseph Muscat is sickening, because he is not the best example for a person who is genuine and willing to tell the truth. That is evidently so when remembering his own conduct in his own public inquiry to the Daphne murder case. But maybe, the master’s advocate might have misbehaved and the master is doing now what his advocate better had done long ago, distancing himself from the person concerned. That’s difficult given the way these two personens are connected to each one another.
The Caruana Galizia ‘s tragedy was not caused by an accident or bad workmanship but is the result of a heinous assassination in which government has a lot to answer for.
Artiklu tajjeb bhal dejjem Kevin. Bertu taghna irid jara x se jaghmel issa. Filli gennen lil shabu jivutaw kontra u ftit wara jibdel kollox u japprova inkjesta puplika. Lil shabu waqahom ghan nejk u ma nafx kief se jiffacjaw lil poplu.
Izda meta smajt dak l avukat tal kirxa Owen Bonnici fuq il one jitkelem bdejt nahseb li qed nghix fuq pjaneta ohra. Dal gharef beda jghid li din l inkjesta publika ser issir mertu taghom. Bdejt inhokk rassi u go qalbi ghed kemm kellu ragun Zammit Lewis meta qal li laburisti huma Gahan. Trid tkun veru Gahan biex tibqa temmen lil dawn l ipokriti.
Nahseb li wasal iz zmien li l poplu iqum qawma fuq tieghu ghax dawn il hallelin u ipokriti kollox serjisirqulna
Like most politicians here and abroad Abela is a liar cheat thief and and all round scumbag as are many of his colleagues.
Remove hime from office asap please