Opposition leader Adrian Delia said the Nationalist Party would keep striving to uncover the mastermind behind the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed two years ago next Wednesday.
Moreover, he criticised the timing of government’s decision to launch a public inquiry into her killing and the selection of the members sitting on the board.
Dr Delia made these remarks when interviewed on the party’s radio station on Saturday morning. The PN leader said that the party would fight tooth and nail to safeguard the fundamental right to expression.
“Regardless whether we agreed or not on everything she [Ms Caruana Galizia] said, or whether one liked her or not, no person deserves to be killed in such barbaric fashion. Even though one might disagree with her, one is obliged to fight to death on her right to expression. This is what a democratic society is about,” he said.
Dr Delia said all efforts had to be made to establish the truth, be it in parliament or in courts.
“We must push the government to really do what is necessary to establish the entire truth, the masterminds,” he said.
The PN leader criticised the recent appointment of a board of inquiry tasked with establishing whether Ms Caruana Galizia’s murder could have been prevented.
The timing of the announcement was intended to convey the message that government was doing something on the matter, Dr Delia said.
He also cast doubts on the three members of the board - Judge Michael Mallia, lawyer Ian Refalo and forensics expert Anthony Abela Medici - who he however did not mention by name.
“Once again, rather than giving comfort that matters will be handled in the right manner, [government] is again sowing doubts,” he said.
He added that rather than doing the right thing and choosing three persons in whom there would be no doubts in their quest to find the truth, government made “certain choices” which the PN criticised.
“We need to get this right. We need to show the Maltese people, to the world that we are still democratic and that there are those seeking the truth and are ready to fight till the end for the entire truth,” he said.
The Caruana Galizia family has said it is not happy with the three people selected for the inquiry, and has met with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to discuss its concerns.
Dr Muscat has yet to say what resulted of that meeting.
Egrant inquiry
Dr Delia also referred to the latest development in a court application which he had filed for the publication of the entire Egrant inquiry report. The PN leader lashed out at Ministers Edward Scicluna, Chris Cardona and Konrad Mizzi for “refusing” to testify on how they had been privy to the content of this report.
Though they had been summoned months ago to testify next Monday, they filed a request not to do so at the eleventh hour, he said.
This showed that they think are higher than the law, he said.
Dr Delia added that the PN would keep insisting for the publication of the entire 1,500-page report.
“I hope that our search for the truth, without any conjectures, leads us to have access to the contents of the report,” he said.
Climate change
The PN leader also referred to the motion on climate change, tabled by the Opposition, which is scheduled to be debated next Thursday. He noted that the Mediterranean coast and islands were the second-most areas being affected after Antarctica.
Dr Delia said the motion delved into a lot of details such as the impact on air quality which cruise liner emissions were having when leaving their engines on standby during their stay in Malta.
He said that the issue of climate change was very serious and that a point of no return could reached if temperatures would increases by just two degrees.
“I hope that the government backs this motion,” he said.