Farrugia says forced resignation was ‘backstabbing’ from Muscat
Former deputy leader says Labour too close to businessmen and contractors close to party finances.
3 February 2013, 12:00am
Matthew Vella
Matthew Vella
2 min read
Stabbed in the bank by a friend, Farrugia said of Labour leader Joseph Muscat.
The former Labour deputy leader Anglu Farrugia has denounced his party's intimacy with building developers and other businessmen, marking them out as the people who "wield power in the country".
"Contractors are too close to Labour like some are close to the PN," Farrugia said in a candid interview to The Times. "I know they are close with certain people involved in the Labour Party's finances."
Farrugia describes his forced resignation in December 2012 - ostensibly over remarks he passed on a magistrate during a party speech - had been tantamount to being stabbed in the back. "This is like calling your best friend over and then shooting him in cold blood," Farrugia said.
Farrugia was forced to resign by Joseph Muscat after passing comments on Magistrate Audrey Demicoli during a party speech, in which he questioned her impartiality due to her father's activism for the Nationalist Party.
Although clearly peeved at the decision, it seems Farrugia's declaration that politics is a closed chapter to him marks a fortuitous sign for Muscat, who will not have any bitter rivalry to contend with inside the House - Farrugia said he will not run for his seat and that he was placing partly loyalty above his personal ambitions.
The resignation came days after Farrugia startled the nation with a disastrous performance on a Xarabank debate against counterpart Simon Busuttil, and as it became known he would be the target of a Nationalist campaign that would have exploited his past as a police sergeant under disgraced former police commissioner Lawrence Pullicino in the 1980s.
Farrugia, who has not been in direct contact with Muscat since the 20 December resignation, was even informed back in September he would not be appointed deputy prime minister if Labour were elected to power.
In the interview, Farrugia also claims he was not involved in the preparation of the Labour electoral campaign, and that his 'resignation' had long been planned, with his performance on Xarabank having given Muscat "an excuse" to let the axe fall.
"I think Muscat was uncomfortable with Anglu Farrugia. Unfortunately, Anglu Farrguia was so loyal to Joseph Muscat that he gave him total leeway and did not realise he was being stabbed in the back."
Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...
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MIN JITKAZA JAQA FIL KAZA. LIL FRANCO GHAMILTUH EROJ GHAX QAL DAK LI QAL FUQ GONZI U IL PN. IMMA GHAX ANGLU TKELLEM GHALIKOM TILEF ID DINJITA MHUX KREDIBBLI ETC ETC. SKOND MUSCAT ANGLU GHADU RELEVANTI MELA DAK LI QED JGHID GHANDU PIZ ENORMI U MUSCAT IRID IWIEGEB GHAL DAK LI INQAL.
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Anglu why are you doing this? One understands that you want your pound of flesh. But why put the Party in harms way. I really hate seeing you being used by the PN to batter the PL. You are hurting the Party not Joe Muscat. Yes you are hurt who wound not be? But yesterday you lost your dignity. You of all people should know that NOBODY IS BIGGER THAN THE PARTY. Your action only underlines the fact that most politicians are in the mix for their personal glory and material game.
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To all those airing the dirty laundry on Anglu Farrugia, I would ask them what is their opinion of the Labour party delegates that elected him in the first place. If Anglu was not up to the task, it seems that it is the fault of the party delegates who demonstrated very poor judgement.
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It's obvious ( at least to me) that Anglu is trying to prevent a Labour victory and then there will be the day of reckoning with the hardliners in the party taking over again. If Labour wins, Anglu will be a footnote in history, if they lose, who knows.....?
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Dr Farrugia b'daqshekk x'qed tiehu ? Qed taqta it-testicoli biex tinki lil mara. Mela insejt kif iddemonizzawk ta gonzipn. Mela insejt li anka lil tal-familja tieghek kienu iddisprezzaw. Ma kellekx ghalfejn tiehu ghalik daqshekk. L-ghan taghna hu li nehilsu minn dan il-gvern li farrak lil kulhadd. Kif taf ben tajjeb int. U allura tibqax isserrah lil min kasbrek fil-passat. Min jobzoq fis-sema f'wicchu jibqa.
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Anglu Farrugia never learns ! They uesed to call him Baby King when he was in the police force. Baby because he always was a baby in his thoughts and attitude, and King because he used to boast around when he solved a criminal case and tries to ridicule his collegues. Anglu knows that with the comment he made against the Magistrate, he shot himself in the foot. He made a mess out of a what could have been a potential case against the PN because now even members of the PN are involved in corrupt practices. After the police proved in the court of appeal that there were corrupt practices, Anglu could have ridden high on this wave, - but because he wanted to be a King again, he ridiculed himself by shooting his salvu into his own feet and critized the Magistrate ! The most stupid thing he could have ever done. I think this was the last straw that brought his downfall and he knows it. Now that he is not playing on the field, he is trying to disrupt the game. That's how much he loves the PL ! Readers to note.
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An Honest man but easily manipulated by GonziPN The best team should be brought forward to win the next elction and personal feelings have nothing to do with a very important position he occupied. He should have accepted that the good of the many outweighs the good and personal ambitions of one person. At this point any further comment from Anglu is counter to his own interest and may reveal further emotional resentment. Who will ever trust him in the future.
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Kemm hi sabiha din! L-ewwel ghajruh u zebilhuh ghax mar hazin ma' Busuttil u issa qed jghidulu miskin u jahasra. Veru ipokrezija fl-aqwa taghha!
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@truthbold......The mission of the Progressive & Moderate Movement is not complete until the voters speaks on March 9th. and elect new faces while rejecting all the Mintoff era dynosaurs.......BYE BYE LABOUR PARTY.
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Muscat stabbed me in the back, Labour close to contractors - Anġlu Farrugia
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Min hu suppost intelligenti ghandu ikun jaf li minn maqdrek iridikulat u ghamel pressjoni biex jiskurak ma jista qatt igiblek il-gid! Qrib il-kuntratturi? Aktar qrib minn Zaren Vassallo li xtara kumpanija falluta tal-PN ghal 350,000 euros ma tista qatt tkun!
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Jiddispjacini Dr Farrugia, imma ghalija tlift il-kreddibbilta'. U hallina qieghed taghmel hsara lil partit biex tpaxxi lil PN
Jien wara li qrajt L-intervista ta Anglu aktar sirt naqbel ma degizjoni li ha Joseph . Tkellem qisu tifel li ma jafx jitlef jew ihassar. Prosit Dr.Farrugia tal interview
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Dr Farrugia
Bil kliem tieghjek kull ma ghamilt tghid dispajcir lil laburisti u pjacir lin nazzjonalisti li ghandhom gimghat ghaddejjin jikkwotawk u jdawwru diskorsok...personalment kont nistenna aktar irgulija u sincerment nahseb li joseph ghamel sewwa anzi messu ghamilha qabel..
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Mr Farrugia,be sincere,you were wrong on Magistrate Audrey Demicoli to question her impartiality due to her father's activism for the NP.
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Politics are a very slippery slope.
Anglu must remember the saying that," what goes round comes around."
What happens to him is exactly what he was part of clan that stabbed Alfred Sant in the last election.
The mission of the Progressive & Moderate Movement is not complete until the voters speaks on March 9th. and elect new faces while rejecting all the Mintoff era dynosaurs.
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Errata corrige Matthew. Dr. Farrugia does not mention that these contractors are close to peole involved in finances and states that he has had nothing to do with finances. What he states is partly insinuation, partly speculation.
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If I recall correctly Anglu Farrugia was a police inspector not a sergeant. He was also a prosecuting officer in the Pullicino arraignment. Unfortunately, although a thoroughly honest person, Anglu sometimes tends to ignore his limitations, a factor tactically utilised frequently by the PN. He also has a tendency to lose control of what he is saying, especially if he is in the middle of one of his oft passionate speeches. This is out of touch with the present technocratic approach to the election campaign. Nonetheless, I personally feel that he has made a mistake in retiring from politics. It is actually a totally unnecessary move which, I am sure, he will rue in the future. I am also amazed at why he is allowing his former arch-adversaries to use him in trying to discredit the Labour Party. In the end it is only Dr. Farrugia who will, once again, end up a loser in the game. But that is Anglu for you. A great pity old friend!
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Fuq it-tvm tawa importanza dalodu din l-ahbar.Nahseb li Joseph ghamel gwadann tajjeb ghax wera li jaf jiehu decizzjoni.Gonzi PN minn naha l-ohra ghandu lil Franco debono,Jeffrey pullicino Orlando,Jesmond Mugliet li it tlieta li huma xebaw jikkritikawh fuq hafna affarijiet validi li jikkoncernaw lil pajjiz kollu.Tal PBS Ovja dawn li jikkorcenaw lil pn jipprovaw kemm jista jkun imewtuwom.Xejn ma cartet halqa u tefet tiben gon nar Ruth Amaira dalodu.Ara sewwa jghidu li l milli jkolla ittik.
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May I recommend to Dr Angelo Farrugia to judiciously consider his loose language, and not let himself be used and abused by Malta's enemies! His hurt is visible, tangible and understandable, but he must understand that the new way for Malta, does not include him, or other hard line Mintoffians for that matter, in the highest positions.
Surely, he should have sensed that he had scant chance of being promoted to the highest levels of the new Movement. Had the Labour Party remained the traditional Mintoffian style sort of party ,then yes. But fortunately for Malta, the Malta Labour Party rejuvenated itself just in time for these modern times and become the PL, the spearhead of a whole new movement.
I maintain that there was still a valid place for Anglu Farrugia within the incoming administration, but not at the levels he expected. Bad luck for him and Malta. But now we must press on!
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Jiddispjacini Dr Farrugia, imma ghalija tlift il-kreddibbilta'. Issa qed targumenta li kont ilek bil-hsieb li tirrizenja! U hallina
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Jien wara li qrajt L-intervista ta Anglu aktar sirt naqbel ma degizjoni li ha Joseph .
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Anglu Farrugia jkun jista jitkellem jekk ikun hemm il-PL fil-gvern, u xi kuntrattur milli ghandu f'mohhu jiehbu xi kuntratt meta mhux suppost ikun hadu hu !Li l-ghaqda tal-izviluppaturi bhal kull ghaqda ohra f'pajjizna, ikollha laqghat ma Dr. Muscat, hi haga li ilha ssir is-snin. U Dr. Muscat anki jiltaqa ma individwi li jkunu jixtiequ jkellmuh. Allura jekk tkun kuntrattur m'ghandux dritt ikellem lil Dr. Muscat ? Hallina Ang !
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Dr.Farrugia qal li kien diga gie infurmat sa minn Settembru li ma kienx ser jibqa deputy kemm il darba il PL jigi elett. Allura nistaqsi fejn hu l-back stabbing jekk ilek xhur taf li ser titnehha? Nistaqsi wkoll int x'ghamilt bhala deputy rigward dak li semmejt fejn ghidt li hemm kuntratturi vicin il partit? Dr.Farrugia jiena xorta nemmen li int bniedem validu ( mhux bhal tal PN li xeghbu jizzufjetaw bik )u nappellalek biex tuza r-raguni u ma iccahhadx lil laburisti u ohrajn li naqghdu mal moviment rebha li tant jisthoqqilnha.
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Matthew, are you serious today? Saying that Joseph, by sacking Anglu Farrugia, "will not have any bitter rivalry to contend with inside the House" is laughable, to say the least. Usually you are more credible in your articles.
