‘I can’t criticise the government if I do worse’ - PN MP calls out politicians who give party bad name

PN MP Ivan Bartolo has called out corrupt politicians, saying that a party couldn’t expect to be taken seriously when criticising the government if its members themselves acted unscrupulously.

Without making direct reference to any particular MP, the former Mosta mayor used his adjournment speech in Parliament on Thursday to complain of the unfairness of upright politicians being lumped together with those whose behaviour was unethical and corrupt.

He emphasised that representing the people meant that MPs had to set an example, and that their behaviour and misdeeds reflect badly on their party.

Bartolo’s comments come at a time of general disruption within the Nationalist Party, with doubts having being cast in the past months on whether its leader Adrian Delia enjoys the support of all his parliamentary group.

Moreover, in recent days, PN MPs Kristy Debono and Herman Schiavone found themselves targets of heavy criticism after the two met with 17 Black owner Yorgen Fenech of the Tumas Group, ostensibly to discuss a potential sponsorship opportunity for a conference they had planned.

Back in 2017, Bartolo had refused to resign his seat to make space for newly appointed PN head Delia to take on his role as Opposition leader.

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“Representing the people means you have to set an example,” Bartolo told the House, “The responsibility for MPs is much greater, because they represent the philosophy of their party. One person’s behaviour and misdeeds will reflect on the party. MPs also have to respect the voice of those who voted for them, so they have to be loyal to what the people want. People want to be represented by MPs who instil confidence.”

“Politicians of goodwill - and I believe there are such politicians on both sides of the House - feel offended if everyone is placed in the same category,” he highlighted, “We feel hurt when people claim that ‘we are all the same’ - as if we are all corrupt or operate within closed circles which care only about their own pockets.”

“I feel I am free to criticise here in Parliament things which I feel are not correct. But I couldn’t criticise the government if I were worse than them,” Bartolo emphasised.

The MP went on to speak of those who “don’t follow a philosophy of serving other, and instead use politics to serve themselves”. “Such people won’t understand me,” he remarked, “Because they don’t share my values.”

Bartolo said that the situation today was that values were switched. “That which is bad, we call good, that which is good, we call bad.”

“I hope to God that the people realise what such people are like, and that they throw them out. Those who created thunderstorms should expect to get wet, and, since they don’t have an umbrella, I think they deserve it,” he said cryptically.

He pointed out, however, that there remained politicians who weren’t afraid and who wouldn’t keep their mouths shouts, adding that he had brought forward the truth, which would “set him free”.