The Maltese Opposition walked out of parliament on Monday as the Labour government moved to censure Nationalist MP Karol Aquilina for allegedly breaching parliamentary rules and using offensive language against Speaker Anġlu Farrugia.
The government’s motion expressed solidarity with the Speaker, condemned Aquilina’s conduct, and urged Opposition leader Bernard Grech to take disciplinary action.
The motion accused Aquilina of extreme behaviour, stating he had insulted the Speaker, calling him obscene and mindless, and suggested he acted like a government MP.
It also noted that during a previous sitting, he challenged the Speaker to call the police to remove him from the chamber.
Grech dismissed the motion as politically motivated, accusing the government of using its majority to silence dissent and avoid addressing national issues such as the cost of living and crises in health and education. He described it as an authoritarian move aimed at eliminating opposition voices from parliament.
Prime Minister Robert Abela defended the motion, criticising the Opposition’s attacks on the Speaker and judiciary as dangerous for democracy. He claimed the PN was internally divided and increasingly controlled by Aquilina rather than Grech.
Abela praised Farrugia’s impartiality, noting none of his rulings had been formally contested despite persistent criticism.
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