Prime Minister Robert Abela has stuck by his predecessor Joseph Muscat, insisting there is no problem with him staying on as a Labour MP. 

Replying to questions on ONE TV put to him by three media houses, including Times of Malta, Abela reiterated what he said earlier this week when he made a clear distinction between former Labour MP Konrad Mizzi and Muscat. 

Mizzi was forced to resign last week following Times of Malta and Reuters revelations about the Montenegro wind farm deal entered into under his tenure as energy minister in 2015. 

Abela said that while Mizzi was named in the Panama Papers and faced the Montengro allegations, Muscat was not facing the same accusations. 

The prime minister refuted that he was not removing Muscat out of fear of a potential backlash from Labour’s grassroots, where the former prime minister continues to enjoy considerable support. 

Montenegro deal never discussed

Abela said the difficult decisions he had taken since January were designed to continue strengthening the Labour Party and improving Malta’s reputation. 

He denied that the details of the Montenegro scandal has been given to Cabinet during the infamous late-night meeting in November, during which a pardon for murder suspect Yorgen Fenech was rejected. 

Abela also refuted claims that Cabinet was told who owns Macbridge, which alongside with Fenech’s 17 Black, planned to deposit up to €2 million yearly into offshore structures set up by Mizzi and Muscat’s former chief of staff Keith Schembri. 

On an early election

The prime minister again excluded calling an early election, however, he acknowledged that doing so would have been the easiest option for him. 

“I do not see the need for an early election to turn over a new leaf. I have already started doing that by taking the necessary decisions. An early election would be an easy solution, but it is not the best decision for the country. The country needs stability, it needs to focus on the economy and let businesses work in tranquility. 

“It [an early election] would be pulling the rug out from businesses feet. An early election would have been easier, but I took the difficult decisions. They are necessary decisions to facilitate the country and economy”, Abela said. 

Abela also fended off internal criticism that Mizzi’s removal had been a result of pressure from the media or protestors. 

“When decisions need to be taken to protect the integrity of the country, they will be taken. They will not be based on populist calls”.

Facebook spending 

Abela also fielded questions about a magisterial inquiry into spending on social media by ministers. 

The prime minister said he was never asked for advice on drawing up a code of ethics for social media spending during his time as a legal adviser to Muscat. 

He said social media spending was a new subject for everyone. The Standards Commissioner had investigated the system as a whole and issued recommendations. 

Abela said the government had aligned itself to conform with these recommendations. 

He recalled how it was the Labour government that had pushed through the necessary laws to appoint a Standards Commissioner, and the current appointee used to be a former member of the PN government. 

Abela hit out at the fact that the entire cabinet had been placed under a magisterial inquiry, questioning the motives behind the opening of such an inquiry, stating this was already the second inquiry he was being subjected to. 

Rule of law 

On the rule of law, Abela stated that the aim was to turn Malta into a model country, rather than just reaching the minimum standards. 

He said the international perception of the country was already changing for the better. 

Abela said Malta was now in conformity with the Venice Commission’s recommendations, which had identified various rule of law shortcomings. 

Asked by Times of Malta’s Keith Micallef if criticism about backbenchers occupying government jobs would be tackled, Abela did not give a direct answer. 

He said the entire reform process would not stop here, as the constitutional convention would be analysing further legislative changes.

Turning to the appointment of police commissioner Angelo Gafà, Abela expressed his disappointment that the opposition had failed to participate in a confirmatory hearing in parliament. 

He vowed the government would not interfere in police work and would make sure the corps was equipped with all the necessary resources to carry out its work. 

Tourism and Air Malta 

Abela spoke about the crucial need for tourism in Malta, on which he said one-third of the economy depends. 

He said the authorities were working to ensure that tourist arrivals picked up while public health was protected. 

Malta will reopen its airport on July 1 following the closure of its airspace in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Abela expressed confidence that Malta would still be able to hit its tourism targets despite the setbacks. 

Replying to questions about Air Malta, Abela said the future of its pilots was in their hands.

A court has ruled that Air Malta can proceed with plans to make 69 of its pilots redundant, though a request by the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) to stop demotions of another 30 pilots has been upheld. 

Abela said he wanted Air Malta to be part of the country’s successful tourism recovery.

He warned that if pilots continued to resist the airline's plan, Air Malta would not hesitate in proceeding with its redundancy plans. 

Abela said all other unions represented within the airline had done their part, with those paid the least making the greatest sacrifices.