Updated 5.46pm with AG's reaction below-
The Nationalist Party’s good governance proposals are the blueprint to restore Malta’s integrity, democracy and institutions, Opposition leader Adrian Delia said on Sunday.
Addressing a political activity at the Birkirkara PN club, he said that without functioning democratic and independent institutions there could be no rule of law.
Dr Delia outlined the major points of the good governance proposals presented last week, which were on the agenda of an extraordinary general council held last Friday.
The Attorney General is an accomplice with a criminal group which hijacked the country- Adrian Delia
The PN leader said that the President should be given more powers in order to intervene in situations where government abused its powers like in the current circumstances.
He noted that President George Vella had first remarked that this was not a normal situation and subsequently declared that government had been taken over by a gang.
“A President should be elected by a two-thirds parliamentary majority in order to be empowered to intervene if necessary,” he said.
Dr Delia also remarked that a stage had been reached whereby everyone had realised that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had become a liability for Malta.
“He is, if anything, permitting crime to be institutionalised,” he said.
However, he remarked that Labour MPs including the two leadership contestants Chris Fearne and Robert Abela, who only recently gave their unconditional support to Dr Muscat, had no credentials to ensure the safeguarding of the rule of law.
As for the courts, he said these had been taken over as all appointments were politically motivated. The PN is proposing a new mechanism on the appointment of judges and magistrates.
Focusing on the office of the Attorney General, Dr Delia said this institution had been reduced to a tool in government’s hand. He cited the Egrant inquiry report, which the Attorney General was refusing to make it public, and hence “creating a political imbalance”. The court is set to decide on the matter on Monday.
“The Attorney General is an accomplice with a criminal group which hijacked the country,” the Opposition leader said.
On disciplined forces, he referred to the Ombudsman report which flagged the irregular manner in which promotions were handed out in the army. As for the police force, he said the existing commissioner allowed criminals take over the country.
“If you have a modicum of decency, shoulder responsibility,” he called on the commissioner.
“Why is it only now that Fearne and Abela want to remove the police commissioner?” he asked.
In his address, Dr Delia said this was also a time when the PN needed to renew itself to embrace people having different ideas. He noted that this renewal was meant to be completed by the end of January.
Attorney General reacts to 'inappropriate' Delia comments
The Office of the Attorney General in a reaction said it was 'totally inappropriate' of Dr Delia to have described the AG as “an accomplice with a criminal group which hijacked the country.”
"The leader of the Opposition appears to consider it appropriate to discuss pending court cases in public statements or at public meetings and in this case to revile the other party to the dispute as a criminal.
"The level of hostility of such language is totally inappropriate in civilized debate, let alone when referring to the subject matter of a pending court case," the office said.