What Robert Abela said during last Friday’s Xarabank is chilling in a country where, it is thought, democracy reigns.

It is a threat against democracy, a warning that the independent media cannot ignore and a strong hint of a move towards dictatorship.

Robert Abela had these words to say: “I am very careful about my engagement with the independent media. That is why I am keeping a certain distance. I am keeping my distance intentionally to be free to take all decisions that are needed”.

Abela has avoided interviews with several independent media outlets, including The Malta Independent, from the moment he announced his candidacy for the Labour Party leadership. He has refused to take part in our programme Indepth in spite of repeated requests; he did not even have the decency to reply to written questions sent via email. The other contender, Chris Fearne, accepted both invitations.

Yesterday, when asked by this newsroom at an event for which the media was not invited, Abela changed his version, insisting that he has faith in the media if it is impartial. He also promised to give us an interview, although he has not yet given us a date. Neither did he make it clear whether the interview would happen before or after Saturday’s election.

The fact remains that this newsroom has been chasing Abela for an interview since before he launched his campaign, yet he never found the time for us and certain other media houses. He said yesterday that politicians should be scrutinised by the media, yet he has never allowed us to scrutinise him. It is only now, a few days before the election, that he says he is willing to give us an interview.

From the way he acted over the past weeks, it seems that Abela is afraid to face the difficult questions. He finds it comfortable to go on the Labour Party’s One Channel, or the state-owned TVM, or other pro-Labour media where soft balls are thrown in his direction and where, just to say one thing, he will not be asked about the more than half a million euros he pocketed as a consultant to the Muscat government.

The man who aspires to be the next Labour leader and, as a result of that, Malta’s prime minister, is already making his intentions clear – that he is waging a war against the independent media, at least that media which, in his opinion, he is “intentionally” keeping away from.

And why is this so? Is it because he blames the media for exposing the government which he forms part of for what it is? Would he have rather expected us to keep our mouths shut and allow corrupt, immoral and unethical happenings to continue to take place? Is he all in favour of having just journalists with brown tongues sucking up to politicians like him?

And what does he mean when he says that he is “keeping his distance… to be free to take all decisions that are needed”? What are these decisions? Is he, if elected prime minister, to embark on a crusade to shut up all dissident voices? Is he planning to go for stricter laws in a bid to stifle the media? Does he not accept that there could be people who are not in agreement with him? Is he planning to attempt to shut us down?  Does Abela not understand that his words are inciting hatred?

Let us not forget that Abela was the one to say that protests taking place in the country are just a provocation. These public protests, together with the media’s work to expose all that was wrong with the government, forced Joseph Muscat to quit. Does this mean that, were he to be named head of government, Abela will take extreme measures to suppress these protests? Are we going back to the days when tear-gas is used against people who voice an opinion against the government? Is he against freedom of speech and freedom of expression?

These are some of the questions we would like to ask Abela. But he has chosen not to take them. Let us hope that we will finally get the chance to ask him, and that he will reply.