The Nationalist Party yesterday called for the expulsion of Mosta local councillor Rachel Tua from the Labour Party for sharing a Facebook photo depicting Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi dressed as deposed Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Muscat’s silence defends this vulgar behaviour

In the third press statement on the subject in as many days, the PN reiterated that Dr Tua had not apologised.

“It has been two days since Joseph Muscat’s official for equal opportunities shared on Facebook a photo likening Dr Gonzi with Gaddafi, and Muscat has remained silent,” the party said.

“With his silence, Muscat is defending this vulgar behaviour,” it added, calling Dr Tua a top official of the “MLP”.

The PN said Dr Tua’s unwillingness to apologise was unacceptable and Dr Muscat should expel her from the party.

It also questioned why Dr Tua was given preferential treatment over broadcaster Joe Grima, who resigned last week for sending vulgar comments to a priest who was critical of the late Prime Minister Dom Mintoff and former EU envoy Richard Cachia Caruana.

“Why is Muscat closing his eyes and defending her?” the PN statement asked, adding that her behaviour quashed Labour’s call for unity.

The issue has triggered off a heated online debate over why the PN had made no reference to the fact that an editor of its newspaper In-Nazzjon was fined in 2003 for publishing a cartoon depicting then Labour leader Alfred Sant as Adolf Hitler.

Others have urged the PN to accept the satire in the photo.