The press is reporting the findings of the Venice Commission into the state of play in Malta and it is also reporting, as it expected to do, the government’s reactions to it. The facile answer from the government is that most of the problems listed by the Commission are in the design of our legal [...]
I had to sleep over what happened yesterday because I handled it less well than she does. That woman shouting and swearing on that video was shouting and swearing at my wife, Clemence, who was in Valletta with her son shopping for my Christmas present. She stopped in front of the Memorial for a chat [...]
Repubblika statement: This afternoon, a number of people gathered in front of the Great Siege Memorial shouting and threatening a number of activists conducting a peaceful protest by laying flowers and candles in front of the Memorial. At one point two persons assaulted one of those that was protesting, flung her phone out of her [...]
After all the faux patriotism about love of a monument they had to look up an old Berlitz guide they shoplifted during a prepubescent crisis before condoms were sold on shelves, after all the crocodile tears about flowers and candles desecrating the memory of the victims of a conflict they wish they paid more attention [...]
Picture caption competition. Free candle for the winner.
The minions came a number of times to the Great Siege Memorial today to clear out what they call rubbish. This was just sent in by Marion and Joe Pace Asciak who have just placed one defiant light to flicker in the cerebral darkness that we're swamped in. "We want to defy the prime minister," [...]
The Platform of the Human Rights Organisations in Malta, that includes the Malta Gay Rights Movement, the Malta Humanist Association, YMCA Homeless, Aditus Foundation and KSU joined international NGOs in their condemnation of Sandro Mangion's abuse of a human rights advocate at a UN meeting. Local NGOs were joined by the European Centre for Press [...]
So Chris Fearne fired him. Then Joseph Muscat said he’s doing good work and he’s only been transferred. Claudette Buttigieg asked three Ministers in Parliament today whether Neville Gafa’ works for any of them: Chris Fearne? Nope. Carmelo Abela? Uh-uh. Joseph Muscat? Nix. Fair enough that we may have a different appraisal than Joseph Muscat [...]
Outwardly we see almost nothing of the indoor drama within the Labour Party. But sometimes we do get signs. Labour Party grandees are lining up to beg Joseph Muscat to forego his innate humility and stay on as party leader and prime minister. Alfred Sant joined that particular fray now. The scene is as contrived [...]
Banks in Malta are managing the high risk of providing services to Malta-based companies by tightening restrictions on business to avoid getting caught out with clients using them for money laundering activities. This is reaching a point where conducting international business in Malta is becoming more expensive and eating into the thin competitive edge Malta [...]
Sometimes, even Joseph Muscat lets his guard down. Consider this interview he gave Super 1 about happy family life now the Muscats can celebrate Christmas without the children worrying unduly their parents are sent to prison. Looks like all the tears have dried. Instead Joseph Muscat says The Big Issue at the Muscat household now [...]
It’s not enough for government officials to harass journalists and civil rights protesters in Malta. Now they are bullying representatives of international NGOs at United Nations meetings as well. Carmelo Abela’s right-hand man, Sandro Mangion, barked at PEN International lobbyist Sarah Clarke calling her a “biased asshole”. This fine representative of diplomatic courtesy was bullying [...]
At one point during his testimony of today, Matthew Carbone recalled a conversation from last June that he had with Keith Schembri when they shared their disdain for how the level of Maltese politics was being brought down. With all that’s going on, it may seem strange that one should be struck by this of [...]
Judge Vincent De Gaetano on Friday spoke at an event hosted by the President marking the 70th anniversary of the universal declaration of human rights. Vincent De Gaetano worked at the office of the Attorney General for sixteen years, was a judge for another sixteen years, eight of them as Chief Justice and has sat [...]
From my article in The Sunday Times today: "Today is anti-corruption day. Yes, really. I know that every day should be anti-corruption day. But December 9 has been designated anti-corruption day by the UN, which creates special observances to promote international awareness and action on certain issues. "Broadly speaking these awareness days are ignored here. [...]
There hasn’t been a happy day for activists for truth and justice since Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed. It’s not just how this started which is horror itself. It’s that so many people have been mobilised by the Labour Party to attack the right to protest and make it look illegal. Flowers and candles have [...]
9th December has been designated by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Day against Corruption, which undermines the social and economic advancement of nations. Repubblika is concerned about corruption in Malta and how this has spread and captured each of our institutions and is present in every sphere of our society. Even though [...]
#occupyjustice showed the way when they called for Adrian Delia to resign. At first, one may have thought they were being a tad touchy. Adrian Delia had just told Saviour Balzan they were his friends and they did not like it. But the call for his resignation was not an intuitive put down for an [...]
Facebook newsfeeds of Maltese users have seen sponsored adverts from a fake-news website called organicdecors.com carrying an image of prime minister Joseph Muscat and appearing to announce "Malta's biggest investment to date". Clicking on the link from the newsfeed takes the reader to a page with the URL www.organicdecors.com. However, the page is made to look [...]
