Updated | Marlene Farrugia won’t attend May Day celebrations after President’s phone call

Independent MP Marlene Farrugia has said she received a phone call from the President of the Republic, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, asking her not to attend the 1 May workers’ day celebrations organised by the Labour Party.

Farrugia, a former Labour MP who fell out with the party’s top brass over its governance record, had announced earlier in the day that she would be attending the protest.

But in a Facebook post, Farrugia said that the President had suggested to her not to attend the May Day demonstration “because of the political situation and the anger in the country” prevailing.

Muscat has been under pressure to sack his minister since the Panama Papers revelations – Konrad Mizzi was found to have registered an offshore company while in office – but on Thursday announced a reshuffle that will retain Mizzi in his Cabinet.

Farrugia said she will not attend the May Day demonstration.

“To the workers who asked me to be there with them, I tell them that I will be there with them in spirit, and I respect the President’s wishes.”

Farrugia, who has made plans to set up her own political party, had rushed to reassure people that she will indeed be present in Valletta along with the party faithful, in an earlier Facebook post. The reason? “To remind those present that Labour lives and that it is not the Panama-Fonseca gang on stage,” Farrugia wrote, in a dig at revelations of offshore companies held by the energy minister and the Prime Minister’s chief of staff.

Farrugia, who has been very critical of the Labour government to the point that she resigned from the party, said she wanted to celebrate Worker’s Day with workers and employers, families and friends. “I want to spread the word that might should be used to do what is right, and not that might itself is right,” she added.

In a separate post, along with a picture of the Maltese flag, Farrugia proceeded to post a link of Mary Spiteri’s iconic song, ‘Haddemien’.