A month after an inquiry into the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia concluded that the state should shoulder the responsibility for the murder, Prime Minister Robert Abela has done nothing to change the sense of impunity in the country, civil society group Repubblika said on Saturday.
Addressing a news conference in front of Castille, president Robert Aquilina said that rather than taking action, the Prime Minister has "completely abdicated" from his responsibilities and continued as if nothing happened.
Following the publication of the 437-page inquiry report, Abela had apologised for the state’s shortcomings and promised that the government would hold public consultation to implement the recommendations made.
Aquilina said Abela, however, opted to continue with "the culture of impunity", retaining former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat within the party.
“Abela is showing everyone that he does not have the ability, strength, or courage to remove Joseph Muscat from the Labour Party and the first to notice his weakness is Muscat himself,” he said.
He referred to Muscat's interview in Times of Malta where he said that he did not exclude returning to politics if he keeps being "annoyed".
“We are here to tell Robert Abela that he has already wasted a lot of time and that the Prime Minister must immediately get off his yacht and start to fulfill his promises."
Aquilina also said the Prime Minister failed to take action against Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis, who had communicated with Yorgen Fenech after addressing a press conference mocking attempts for justice over the businessman’s secret company 17 Black.
“Any gaħan (fool) would realise you cannot have a Minister for Justice and Governance who has been caught sucking up to criminal millionaries.”
Abela is not interested in the wellbeing of the country and its people, but only in his power and that of his Labour Party colleagues "who are responsible for the murder of a journalist".
"We are concerned that Abela is sowing the seeds that will enable us to relive the horror we went through that day,” Aquilina said.
PN statement
In a statement, the Nationalist Party also noted that no action had been taken by the government a month after the publication of the inquiry.
This, it said, was not a surprise and the PN was determined to carry out the necessary changes for such episodes never to be repeated. It had also set up a group "Never again" specifically for this purpose and had already held a number of meetings with stakeholders.
The PN, the party said, will continue to ensure that not only is justice served in Caruana Galizia's case but also that it is on the forefront to ensure that the required changes are carried out.