Parliamentary Secretary Ian Borg told The Malta Independent this morning that he apologises to anyone who might have felt offended by a comment he passed in Parliament yesterday but insisted that he meant no offence or disrespect to anyone.

Dr Borg, speaking for Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela, was replying to supplementary questions by PN MP Jason Azzopardi when he said he “did not orgasm on speculation.”

Speaking to this newsroom earlier today, Dr Borg said: “If anyone felt offended by my comments or believes that that kind of language should not be used in the country’s highest institution then I apologise. However, those who followed the entire PQ session will have noted that I was not trying to be arrogant and, in fact, I explained a couple of minutes later that what I meant was that I did not want to entertain speculative questions. Jason Azzopardi’s questions where speculative and the Home Affairs Minister had given him clear answers. If he wanted a reply to those speculative questions he should have made them in writing and the Minister would have replied next week, after returning from abroad.”

Dr Borg said those who know him know that he is not the kind of person to insult or disrespect others. “Some might have thought that I passed that comment to attack the Opposition and others might have taken up the occasion to paint me as an arrogant person. I do not associate with either of these groups. I was replying in a very serious manner to an answer written by Carmelo Abela and if someone felt offended – even if I cannot understand how this might have happened – then I apologise. It is not like me to be arrogant and I have no problem in apologising.”