Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia has jumped to the defence of Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar, who is facing calls for resignation, by pointing out that other journalists had been targetted by bombs in the past, even if unsuccessfully.

Dismissing the lack of public confidence in the police chief, Farrugia also suggested that Daphne Caruana Galizia was unlucky because the bomb targeted her had managed to kill its target.

After the barbarous murder of Caruana Galizia there have been repeated calls for Cutajar’s resignation from the police’s top job. On Sunday thousands attended a rally organized by the Civil Society, which is calling for the resignation of Cutajar and Attorney General Peter Grech, and for their replacements to be appointed by a two-thirds Parliamentary majority. Another demonstration will be held on Sliema on Sunday.

But the minister does not see why the police chief should resign. Quizzed by The Malta Independent yesterday he said:

“The police commissioner has a job. His job is to look into the investigation and he and the police are assisting Magistrate Vella, who is in fact holding an inquiry on the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. God knows if I mention all the cases of criminality in our country and failures from past police officers and commissioners. No one asked for their resignation.  There where cases in the past where criminals were not taken to court because they knew the right politician, and no one asked for the resignation of the commissioner at that point. I don’t see why the commissioner should resign; the commissioner needs to do his job and it is his responsibility to do it,” the minister insisted, adding that, under Cutajar the force had registered some of the “biggest successes ever.”

These included last month’s record drug haul and the dismantling of a pickpocketing ring.

He insisted that if one looks at the work being achieved, rather than taking aim at the institutions, “we would not end up in this ridiculous situation where we have politicians urging the public to go against authorities and entities.”

The car bomb that killed Daphne Caruana Galizia was the sixth car bombing case in the last two years. After the fifth case, in February of this year, the cabinet, of which Farrugia former part (even if he was minister for social affairs back then) had pledged to solve the spate of crimes.

Reminded about this yesterday, Farrugia replied by saying that this was not the first time a journalist was targeted by a car bomb.

Here he compared the Caruana Galizia murder to the bomb that had been placed at the front door of the residence of Frans Ghirxi, then editor of l-Orizzont, in 2000. Luckily, that bomb did not explode.

“When that happened, no one asked for the Police Commissioner, the Attorney General or the Prime Minister to resign. No one attacked the institutions of the country.”

No one had called for resignations when bombs were placed near the houses of Members of Parliament, he said. But now people were going on television calling for a revolution. “Find one instance when the Labour Party said such a thing,” he said.

The minister then suggested that Daphne Caruana Galizia was unfortunate because the bomb intended for her had killed her, whereas others had managed to get away.

He added that the only murder that had been labelled as ‘political’ was the murder of Karin Grech.

Farrugia also tried to play down the argument that many distrust the police commissioner, saying that this “phenomena” was not only applicable today but has “always been present.”

“It’s not like there was absolute trust in the police before and today there isn’t any. There have always been certain questions.”

Farrugia said there is a “difference between a Labour government that respects the country’s institutions and an Opposition that has chosen politics of convenience by attacking the Auditor General, the Attorney General, the Police Commissioner and the Public Service Commission when it does not agree with them.”

Farrugia said he holds regular meetings with the Police Commissioner, stressing that he does not interfere with police work and ongoing investigations.

“A lot of information on Caruana Galizia case is with the Magistrate. The magistrate will then decide what information is handed over to the police so the person holding most of the information at this stage is the magistrate, not the commissioner.”

Asked who should shoulder responsibility for Daphne’s murder, Farrugia said all Maltese citizens need to come together in order to identify the people who committed the barbarous act.

“Let’s come together on this occasion. In England when an MP was killed over the Brexit issues, all the British came together, irrespective of their political views. “But in Malta we have an Opposition that wants to break down democracy and their only interest is that Joseph Muscat resigns. This is not acceptable.”