Former General Workers Union Secretary General Tony Zarb is standing by what he said in a lengthy Facebook rant against PANA committee chairman Werner Langen and two Maltese MEPs following the EP debate in Strasbourg on Wednesday.
In comments to The Malta Independent, Zarb said he does not feel sorry for the harsh language he used against MEPs Roberta Metsola and David Casa and insisted that he will never forgive “those who try and tarnish Malta’s reputation.”
Zarb’s posts emerged after Prime Minister Joseph Muscat faced heavy flak during the EP plenary debate on the rule of law in Malta. During that session the PM was criticised for failing to remove Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi, the FIAU reports published in the last weeks and Malta’s reputation on the tax front. German MEP Langen criticised the PM for failing to appear in front of the PANA committee and said the Maltese PM would not get away scot free.
Muscat defended his position by saying that most of what was said was fake news and told MEPs to “get their facts straight.”
The former union boss later took to Facebook, where he wrote that Werner Langen should be declared a ‘persona non grata’ and said that the European Institutions should immediately take action against him. “He should not be left chairing this committee and should be made to resign,” he wrote in hasty Maltese.
“Lengen already reached his conclusion and has already showed the hate he has for Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and therefore cannot pass a just judgment. If it was up to me, none of the Maltese officials accept to appear before this committee.”
He then turned his guns on PN MEPs Roberta Metsola and David Casa. “Werner likes to rub up with the PN MEPs. He knows how to do it and likes to rub from behind and the front with David Casa and Roberta Mezzola (Metsola). He should be declared a persona non grata by the Maltese public.”
The post was accompanied by a photo with showing David Casa speaking to Werner after a parliamentary session.
In subsequent Facebook posts called Langen a “paid PN satellite” and described Metsola and Casa as “traitors” who deserved a “traitor’s welcome.”
This newspaper reached Tony Zarb for a comment and was asked if he could have transposed the message in a less aggressive manner. “It’s the ones who have a dirty mind who were offended,” he said. “They were the ones who interpreted what I said in a dirty way,” an agitated Zarb said.
Roberta Metsola, in a Facebook post reacting to Zarb’s rant, said that the only person who should feel ashamed is the person who uses such language.
“It’s time you understood that your hate campaign online and your desperate attempts to make yourself heard, are a thing of the past. We will keep fulfilling our duty.”
Reached for a comment, David Casa said that it is a real pity that people who are closely associated with the Labour Party continue to show disrespect towards the EU institutions and their members.
“While we have grown accustomed to their disregard for the rule of law in Malta, these people must keep in mind that Malta currently holds the EU Presidency. Such statements continue to damage Malta’s reputation. I will continue to do all I can to disassociate the Maltese people from the corruption allegations linked to the Muscat government. Tony Zarb isn’t defending Malta; he is defending corruption. His statement continues to build on the reputational damage inflicted on Malta since Joseph Muscat has been at the helm,” Casa told The Malta Independent.
TMID Leader