Rosianne Cutajar’s notorious “everybody pigs out” remark made a return to the public eye this weekend, as a drove of pigs danced down Nadur’s streets for its annual carnival.
Led by a person dressed up as the Qormi MP, revellers wearing identical pig costumes danced the night away while waving €50, €100 and €500 notes. Their leader held a placard reading “Kulħadd jitħanżer” (Everybody pigs out).
Cutajar had texted that phrase to her friend Yorgen Fenech back in 2019, as she complained about being left out of cabinet.
“Now I’ve stopped giving a damn,” she told Fenech. “I’ll become a consultant with Pierre of ITS, and pocket another wage.”
Cutajar then added: “I don’t care, everybody pigs out.”
Text messages between Cutajar and Fenech were made public by author Mark Camilleri on his blog. Cutajar dropped a libel suit against Camilleri this week.
A National Audit Office investigation into Cutajar's ITS job concluded that it was most likely fake.
Despite that damning report, Cutajar is now poised to be brought back to the Labour camp: Prime Minister Robert Abela has said that her one-year exile from the party’s parliamentary group is punishment enough and the party’s MPs met this week to discuss allowing her back into the parliamentary group.
The satirical take on Cutajar’s comment was among the most eye-catching at this year’s Nadur carnival, a darkly comical and satirical street festival that contrasts with the family-friendly celebrations held in Valletta.
Elsewhere in Nadur, other revellers took aim at Benna’s hike in milk prices with a carnival float lampooning the company, while others danced around a makeshift ambulance while holding a placard calling for authorities to “legalajs kokajn” (‘Legalise cocaine’).
Valletta comes alive with colour
In Valletta, carnival celebrations got into full swing on Saturday as dance troupes lit up the capital city with their colourful dances and choreographies, for the annual children's carnival.
A morning programme will resume on Sunday at 10 am.
Another carnival parade will take to the streets of Valletta starting on Monday morning and going on into the evening, culminating in a grand finale on Tuesday, February 13, down St Anne’s Street in Floriana.