Sant asks police to start libel proceedings against Gatt

A statement made last Sunday by IT and Investment Minister Austin Gatt, and defined as a joke at the moment it was made, is likely to land him in the dock after Alfred Sant filed a request with the police for criminal libel proceedings to be taken against Dr Gatt.

Speaking during the Nationalist Party general council, Dr Gatt kicked off his brief speech with what he described as a joke about Dr Sant. He said that before the Labour leader assured everyone on Bondiplus last week that his bizarre delivery at Birzebbuga on Independence Day was simply a "bad joke", his performance could have qualified him for a feature on Altered Statesmen, a documentary series on Discovery channel which investigates political leaders who have had bouts of alcoholism or substance abuse.

Through his lawyer Paul Lia, Dr Sant filed a complaint in writing at the St Julians police station accusing Dr Gatt of making false and defamatory allegations "when he alleged that he (Dr Sant) had a drink problem and that he took drugs (jiblaghhom) while making decisions".

The IT Ministry said Dr Gatt had no problem proving in court that Dr Sant was taking what he said last Sunday out of context. "The Labour leader wants us to forget the historic context in which the minister made the remarks.

On September 20, Dr Sant made a public speech and his behaviour stunned those who saw him live or in recordings. Dr Sant himself publicly declared this as 'failed humour'.

"In such a context it was legitimate that when a public person, such as the Leader of Opposition, behaves in an embarrassing way in a mass meeting, various media, except those of the Malta Labour Party, commented on it," the ministry said.

"The minister has no problem to appear before the court. But one cannot help noting the blatant hypocrisy of the Labour Party which had reacted differently in similar circumstances in 1999, when the Prime Minister had filed a report with the police when he felt slandered by a Labour Party publication.

"Then, the MLP had claimed this was an oppression of freedom of speech and that the Prime Minister wanted to see (then MLP journalist) Glenn Beddingfield behind bars.

"One has to be a hypocrite to feel one can take action according to law but when someone else does it, this is considered abusive," the ministry said.