Labour asks PM to condemn Abela's comments

The Labour Party yesterday called on the Prime Minister and the Nationalist Party to condemn comments made by Parliamentary Secretary Tony Abela during a PN activity to mark Malta's independence.

While One News journalist Charlon Gouder was interviewing Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, Dr Abela was heard asking whether Mr Gouder would emigrate should the PN be re-elected.

The implication, Labour insisted yesterday, was intimidating and showed the arrogance of the party in government.

When contacted, Dr Abela said his was a light comment, which the MLP was blowing out of proportion because it has "nothing to criticise in the Nationalist Party".

When asked to clarify his comment at the PN activity, he said he had nothing to add and cut abruptly.

The MLP said: "Four years ago, Lawrence Gonzi promised a new way of doing politics. Today, the Prime Minister is keeping a member in his Cabinet, who incidentally is a Parliamentary Secretary in his own office, who is not only not practising this new way of doing politics but is actually being caught on camera stating that should the PN win the next election, some people will have to emigrate because of their political beliefs".

What Dr Abela says he wants to do after the election smacks of a vendetta, the MLP continued, insisting that if the Prime Minister is serious when he says that people should judge him by his actions not his words then he and the PN should unconditionally condemn Dr Abela's comments, the MLP said.