Opinion: Labour targets former chief justice

The government has a new target. This time, it’s former Chief Justice Silvio Camilleri.

The Labour Party’s ONE News is inciting supporters against Camilleri, mocking and humiliating him.

It’s egging on the Commission for the Administration of Justice to investigate him.

It’s making despicable insinuations that Camilleri was only made chief justice by then minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici simply because Camilleri previously worked in the legal office of Carm’s father, Ugo.

ONE is ridiculing Camilleri for having his nomination to serve at the European Court rejected, mocking him for “having failed.”

ONE claimed that Camilleri subjected prospective lawyers to degrading questions about their personal lives, including their physical disabilities. They’re mocking him for protesting the government’s decision to change the protocol, relegating his precedence behind the Speaker and Archbishop.

Why is Labour fomenting hate against the former chief justice? Because he’s committed the gravest crime in the party’s eyes.  He criticised the Labour government’s frantic rush to “reform” the magisterial inquiry legislation. He exposed the government’s true motivation.

Labour isn’t fussed about real crimes.  It doesn’t care about the countless deaths at Corradino Correctional Facility under Alex Dalli.  It’s not fussed about hundreds of millions of taxpayer funds fraudulently diverted to Vitals and Steward Health Care.

It doesn’t really care that millions allegedly spent on Mozura windfarm shares ended up in Yorgen Fenech’s pocket.  They’re not interested in 17 Black and the millions allegedly meant to be funnelled to Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri.

Those involved in the disability benefits scam got a presidential pardon.  Minister Ian Borg was only doing his job when he contacted the alleged mastermind behind the driving licensing scandal. Labour couldn’t care less about alleged money laundering at Pilatus Bank.

But don’t dare commit “political crimes” because Labour will come down on you like a tonne of bricks.

Silvio Camilleri committed that most heinous of “political crimes” – he’s criticised the great leader, he’s expressed disgust at Labour’s shameless efforts to shield corrupt politicians from justice. He’s shared his concerns over the continued erosion of the rule of law under Labour’s stranglehold.

Labour will make Camilleri pay.  His face was plastered on ONE’s headline news for two consecutive days.  ‘Chief Justice Emeritus dishonours himself by commenting on everything that comes to his mind” was the title of the first carried by ONE on 8 February.

The following day, ONE escalated its intimidation with a report headlined, ‘Huge anger over former chief justice Silvio Camilleri’s comments’.

ONE accused him of trying to attract attention by “posting his comments more than once”. They were shocked that he “even comments on events happening outside our shores”.

ONE denounced his  “political activism against the government”.  “This attitude does not augur well and certainly falls below the standards expected from a person who served as chief justice”, Labour’s media reported.  But Camilleri’s ultimate crime was the  “continuous attacks against Prime Minister Robert Abela”.

Labour’s news channels quoted the anonymous “greatest legal minds in our country” who support Labour’s devious magisterial inquiry reform and who were shocked at the former Chief Justice’s comments.

They expressed “contempt”, according to ONE, encouraging viewers to share that contempt against Camilleri, who, according to them, posted “hundreds of comments against the government containing harsh and vulgar language”.

According to ONE’s anonymous lawyers, “This is the language of fanatics who’ve lost their minds, not former members of the judiciary who should value balance and impartiality.”

Labour is going to make Camilleri regret his comments, which display “clear bias against the Labour Party and the prime minister of the country”.

Camilleri is now Labour’s latest target for abuse, harassment and intimidation.  And it didn’t take long for the hate and spite against the former chief justice to clutter the social space.

To understand what Labour really cares about, look at whom they punish.  They’re happy defending those accused of corruption, bribery, trading in influence, and criminal association.  But they won’t tolerate a word of criticism. That’s typical of dictatorships who crush dissent at all costs.

On 10 April 2023, after more than three years in detention, Xu Zhiyong was sentenced to 14 years in prison by a Chinese court. His only crime, according to state prosecutors, was “subversion of state power”.  The man’s actual offence was attending a private meeting where he discussed the rights of Chinese citizens afforded by the constitution – such as freedom of speech and how it’s trampled on by the Chinese government.

In 2012, shortly after Xi Jinping became paramount leader, Xu wrote him an open letter: “I hope you show your courage and wisdom to lead China to the right path of democracy and constitutionalism—I hope you will be a citizen like us.”

Xu’s hopes were quickly dashed. He was arrested in 2013 and jailed for four years. On his release he wrote the party leader another letter calling him to step down. He was rearrested and is now serving what Human Rights Watch called a “cruelly farcical sentence”.

Like China’s communist party, Abela’s Labour is more interested in “political crimes”. Dissent is treacherous for Abela and his party. Silvio Camilleri’s very public statements are symptomatic of the rising anger at Labour’s dangerous moves towards authoritarianism.  Labour’s vicious retaliation against him is indicative of the party’s ruthlessness in crushing dissent.

Xu’s trial took place behind closed doors.  He wasn’t allowed to make a statement during his sentencing. But he managed to dictate one to his lawyers. It read, “Why is it subversion to aspire to be a real citizen?” That’s a question Labour should answer too.