The Nationalist Party said today that the position of Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici is no longer tenable due to the events which happened in the National Orchestra under his political leadership.

The PN called for Bonnici to bear political responsibility and resign.

This followed the case of sexual harassment involving members of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, with the victim having had to resign against her will.

On Saturday, Malta Philharmonic Orchestra CEO Sigmund Mifsud was charged with tampering with evidence after he allegedly instructed MPO employees to keep quiet on the sexual harassment scandal. He allegedly also tried to convince the victim to change her version of events.

The PN raised questions over the complete silence about the case from Bonnici’s side, and it was only after the case came out in the media, that Bonnici said that there was an investigation.

It said that a government minister did not take immediate steps on public accusations of sexual harassment which occurred in an entity which falls under his remit. The PN accused Bonnici of not taking the necessary steps to ensure that the victim is safeguarded.

The PN reminded that Mifsud was appointed as a person of trust during former Prime Minister’s Joseph Muscat’s tenure. He is still in the same position under Prime Minister Robert Abela.

It also said that Abela should have taken immediate action upon knowledge that a minister in his cabinet hid accusations of sexual harassment.

In reply to the PN statement, the government said that the Ministry for National Heritage, Arts and Local Government condemns the PN’s position, saying that it chose to try turn the case into a political issue. 

“There is no room  for political partisanship when there are issues related to sexual harassment in the workplace,” the statement read.

Government said that in this case all the necessary steps were taken immediately and expeditiously, and all the questions were answered in the most open and transparent way.

 “The institutions worked and gave results, as did the government. Government will continue to work to strengthen the work in the cultural sectors for the benefit of all Maltese and Gozitan people,” the statement read.