Farrugia calls on public to ‘unite against the enemy from within’

Independent MP Marlene Farrugia let out a war-cry to the public to “unite to fight the enemy from within” in a debate on whether the Prime Minister should be forced to sack his chief of staff Keith Schembri.

“Throughout history, the Maltese public had always united to fight the foreign enemy and it was always successful, but it must no united against the enemy from within,” she said.

She lashed out at the Labour Party of which she once formed part of – mocking Joseph Muscat as a “salesman who is ready to sell everything our forefathers had built over the years – including Enemalta, Air Malta and the health service”.

She dismissed denials by ministers to a claim by PN leader Simon Busuttil that they need Schembri’s go-ahead before making major decisions.

“Everyone knows that there are spies in every ministry who report directly to the chief of staff,” she said, to which foreign affairs minister George Vella stood up to demand that she substantiate her claims.

“Had Schembri truly loved the Labour Party and Malta, he would have resigned,” she retorted. “However, he remained where he is although he knows that his presence is damaging the financial services sector and the country’s future.  

At one moment, Vella stood up to tell Farrugia that she only has a few minutes left of her speech, to which she retorted that “I will finish when I want”.

“It is clear that George Vella is facing an internal problem of conscience, which is why he cannot sit down in silence,” she said, to which the minister demanded that she retract her claims.

“It is clear that he is conflicted internally, because his credibility doesn’t permit Schembri’s and Mizzi’s behaviour,” she said, to which Vella responded that he will not accept being “insulted by someone like you”.

She insisted that Schembri must be investigated by an ad hoc parliamentary secretary, as proposed in her motion. In a last-ditch plea to government MPs, she said that she is willing to change her motion so that Labour MPs – and not Opposition MPs – enjoy the majority of seats on the committee.

“Keith Schembri betrayed his country and public office when he set up his offshore company, and anyone who approves this behaviour is accomplice to this treachery,” she said.