The national broadcasting station PBS filed a complaint against Repubblika president Robert Aquilina after last week the NGO held a press conference at the entrance of the PBS complex, criticising the national station for its censorship.
As a result, Aquilina was summoned by the police to be interrogated at the Hamrun police station. He later said that he had been “cautioned” by the police but had refused to give him a copy of the complaint filed by PBS.
He said that the police did not tell him whether he will be charged in court and, if yes, what charges he will face. Speaking to the media after the interrogation, Aquilina said that he had told the police that this was an act of intimidation and a threat against his right to freedom of expression.
He said two people were responsible for the interrogation - PBS chairman Mark Sammut and police commissioner Angelo Gafa, the first for filing the report, and the second for deciding to summon him for the interrogation.
Aquilina's lawyer, Therese Comodini Cachia, said that what happened today, which she described as very serious, exposes how democracy is collapsing. The State media, rather than reporting on what is wrong in the country, instigates a "chilling effect on public participation".
In his comments before the interrogation, Aquilina said that not only does PBS censure the NGO's activities, Aquilina said while addressing media outside the police station, “it now wants to silence us” and uses the police against us simply for exercising our rights.
In the press conference held last week, Repubblika said the appointment of a new head of news at Public Broadcasting Services should be based on meritocracy. The NGO also complained it has never been invited to take part in any PBS programme for the last two years.
Commenting on PBS’ police complaint, Aquilina said this is an affront to democracy and not acceptable in a society which described itself as democratic.
Aquilina said that the current chairman of PBS, Mark Sammut, is involved in the driving licences scandal, as he used to pass on names of certain people for them to be assisted in passing their driving test. Under his leadership, PBS has killed discussion and censuring all voices that criticise the government.
Sammut’s position as PBS chairman is no longer tenable, Aquilina said, calling for his resignation, failing which he should be dismissed.
It is ironic that this is happening a day after Prime Minister Robert Abela said that a white paper is to be published to give the media more protection. If Abela really believes in freedom of expression, he has no choice but to dismiss Sammut from PBS and launch a reform of the national station to give a voice to everyone.
“It is also ironic that the police have summoned me for holding a press conference and did not arrest Sammut and his colleagues for their abuse at Transport Malta,” Aquilina said.
We have long been saying that the police commissioner is the best defence of criminals wearing suits and times who are part of the government, Aquilina said.
Rather than arrest the people involved in the benefits fraud and driving licences scandal, “the police want to interrogate me for a press conference”.
In a statement, the Nationalist Party said the PBS administration wants to jail people who criticise the government,
Apart from discriminating against anyone who dares to say a bad word about the government, now it files complaints to the police about the government's critics and wants to send them to prison.
This act of bullying is not acceptable, the party said, and it shows that the PBS has not learnt the lesson from the law courts, which had ruled that PBS had been discriminatory against the PN and as such had stifled freedom of expression.
PBS wants to arrest people who disagree with the fact that PBS had become a Super Two with messages that are in favour of the government and Robert Abela.
The statement was signed by PN spokesman for PBS Graham Bencini.