Opinion: Spin dictators

The era of fear dictators is almost over.  We’ve now moved into the epoch of spin dictators.

Fear dictators used violence to oppress their people, intimidate the opposition and maintain power. PN clubs were regularly attacked and repeatedly burnt by Labour thugs.  Dissenters were beaten up at the Malta drydocks and even in public schools.

The Opposition Leader’s house was ransacked by Labour bullies in 1979 when Labour was in power after fake news circulated that somebody shot at Dom Mintoff.

Eddie Fenech Adami’s wife was viciously beaten, thrown to the ground and kicked repeatedly.  Her earring was ripped from her ear. Her children jumped onto their neighbour’s roof to escape as thugs threw their school books out of the balcony onto the street.

The Archbishop’s Curia bore the brunt of the violence of “the aristocracy of the workers”. The Special Mobile Unit, a police branch trained by North Korean agents, repeatedly used truncheons on PN supporters.

The police shot at those supporters in Rabat.  Armed Labour diehards, backed by police,  attacked PN supporters at tal-Barrani to prevent them from entering Zejtun where a mass-meeting was to be held.

Raymond Caruana was killed, and the State framed Pietru Pawl Busuttil for that murder.

The intimidation and harassment of government critics continue. The only difference is that instead of fearing dictators, we now have spin dictators.

While pretending to be democratic, they use ‘democratic’ tools to harass critics and silence dissent. According to Sergei Guriev and Daniel Triesman, the authors of Spin Dictators, the goal of spin dictators is to appear to allow political competition while making it near impossible in practice.

Labour has been widely wielding the bluntest methods to silence dissent. Some of the dirty work of making critics’ lives hell is outsourced to an army of trolls to allow Labour a degree of deniability. Labour has Manuel Cuschieri, who publishes Jason Azzopardi’s home address, the site of his reserved parking space and his private vehicle number plate.

It has Neville Gafa, who viciously targets critics with falsehoods and brazen lies.

It’s got ONE News and Kulħadd, both engaged in an endless campaign of demonisation of government critics.

But now Labour has upped the ante. Labour’s latest crusade is against “abuse of free speech”.

Minister Jonathan Attard condemned those who “abuse freedom of expression”.  Ironically, he mounted his attack in parliament during a forum on media and information organised by Opposition MPs.

“One regret I have is that we have not yet acted robustly to protect the victims of those who abuse freedom of expression,” Attard said.

“We must be aware of the realities of victims of those whose only aim, without a shred of decency, is to damage individuals,” he added.

Jonathan Attard warned us:  “Yes, there is still much to be done, and we are determined as a government to continue to be pioneers of further reforms”.

Yet those reforms are already here. On 3 October, the minister introduced a Bill for its first reading before the House of Representatives. He proposed “an Act to amend various articles in the Criminal Code with a view to introducing additional provisions regulating and imposing criminal liability for the misuse of electronic communication.”

He’d been beaten to it by Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan.  Like Robert Abela, Erdogan has long accused journalists of “fake news” and being “part of the establishment”.  He made the publication of “disinformation” on social media a crime punishable by up to five years behind bars.

Jonathan Attard’s Bill proposes “imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or a fine not exceeding €10,000 or both”.

That will certainly send a chill down journalists’ and writers’ spines.  Attard’s new article on the Criminal code is titled “misuse of electronic communication network or apparatus to transmit misleading information or spread false news”.

It’s almost copied straight from Erdogan’s legislation. The Venice Commission denounced Erdogan’s law, but it did not notice Attard’s because it was conveniently hidden among provisions on human trafficking and the Schengen information system.

The justice minister’s new article is straight out of the autocrat’s playbook.  “Whosoever, knowingly with intent to cause harm… or with intent to spread false news… or otherwise make use of an electronic communication network or apparatus for any of the purposes mentioned above shall be guilty of an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to imprisonment.”

Labour is criminalising “false news”. Attard is criminalising “misleading information”.  And who gets to decide what’s  “false news” and what’s “misleading information”? Such vaguely worded articles in the criminal code are intended to be exploited – by the ruling party.

Attard’s new article has two objectives: to chill speech and to jail critics.  That article threatens the investigation, conviction, and imprisonment of citizens simply by posting on social media or even sending an e-mail.

Labour is clearly seeking to expand the types of speech that can be considered criminal with the objective of inflicting auto-censorship and jailing those who “abuse freedom of expression”.

Labour wants to criminalise libel, increase penalties, and now introduce a two-year jail term for “false news.” They want to put a lid on dissent.

Labour is using its arsenal of deceit and intimidation to maximum effect.  Its powerful coalition of ONE news, PBS, Kulħadd, the DOI and its army of trolls has been incredibly effective at keeping Labour dominant and its power secure.

Now, it’s hijacking the criminal code to rip away at the fundamental right to free speech. As Abela’s hold on power becomes more tenuous, Labour’s assault on democracy will only accelerate.

                           

Sign up to our newsletter

Stay in the know

Get special updates directly in your inbox
Don't worry we do not spam
                           
                               
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

8 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Fred the Red
Fred the Red
30 days ago

Thank you for alerting us to the underhand tactics and the gravity of the situation. Because if you or The Shift or Jason Azzopardi or Repubblika won’t, nobody will. The so called Opposition? The least said about them, the better… lest the noise startles them…

charles camilleri
charles camilleri
30 days ago
Reply to  Fred the Red

Fred have you ever participated in any opposition activity? How much did you donate to the opposition’s latest maratona?

Caroline Muscat
Admin
30 days ago

I think you’re missing the point. Both parties owe the public money. And yet asking for donations.

Fred the Red
Fred the Red
30 days ago

Charles if you’re referring to the national protest organised by the PN in the wake of the ID card and other scandals, no I never attended it, for the simple reason that the PN never organised one!

J. Kerr
J. Kerr
29 days ago
Reply to  Fred the Red

All those up in court for “other scandals” is thanks to the opposition, either individually or collectively. Years of protest and submissions before magistrates have for the first time ever landed politicians in court. Think about it! Think of the many u-turns forced on this government!
Your sole aim, it seems, is to denigrate and weaken the opposition. That’s precisely a card from
Labour’s propaganda play-book!

Fred the Red
Fred the Red
28 days ago
Reply to  J. Kerr

Those up in court are not mainly a result of any action by the Opposition but by Repubblika. It’s typical of the Opposition to piggy back on the successes of civil society and Jason Azzopardi in particular. The only action worthy of note in recent years was annulling the Vitals contract and there again the path had been laid by Repubblika. Ever since Simon Busuttil’s departure the so called Opposition has been at best weak, at worst sterile.

There are so many issues on a daily basis where the Opposition could be at the government’s jugular but instead chooses to say nothing or very little.

Case in point is the latest attack launched by the government against journalists and freedom of expression in general where the opposition has officially said nothing of substance.

Think about it!

Antonio Ghisleri
Antonio Ghisleri
29 days ago

In connection with the frameup of Pietru Pawl Busuttil one could add how, after the joint inquiry by (then) Magistrates Jeffrey Valenzia and Gino Camilleri exonerated Busuttil, the government of the day amended the Criminal Code in an attempt to prevent that joint inquiry from being used as evidence in Busuttil’s committal proceedings. The new incoming government immediately repealed that amendment. But the government today still attempts to change the law by stealth (mindful of the fact that there is no fit-for-purpose opposition that will examine in detail proposed legislation or published legal notices) to achieve its darker aims.

A. Fan
A. Fan
29 days ago

(Sadly) right on point, as usual. Kudos!

Related Stories

Opinion: The cleanup and the cover up
In October, there was a massive diesel spill at
Opinion: Defending the indefensible
Robert Abela is cornered.  And, as expected, he’s hysterical.

Our Awards and Media Partners

Award logo Award logo Award logo