Opposition Leader Bernard Grech has insisted that Parliament formally adopts the full public inquiry report regarding the death of Jean Paul Sofia, and called for a vote of apology towards the Sofia family, as well as the public, for failing to vote in favour of launching the inquiry in the first place.
Grech spoke during a debate on a PN motion which called for the resignation of three ministers following the conclusions of the inquiry into the death of Jean Paul Sofia.
The government voted against today's motion, which Grech had anticipated it would do, and said that this means that it do not want to apologise for its actions last July.
Grech, addressing the other side of the House, accused PL MPs of considering their position as more important.
Grech reminded the public what Prime Minister Robert Abela, as well as his Ministers, had said before the public inquiry was eventually launched.
They had maintained that only a magisterial inquiry would bring justice to the victim and his family, and that construction shortcomings were being addressed, Grech said.
He said that Abela had patronised Sofia's mother Isabelle Bonnici, and attacked the PN as being populist.
Grech said he could not believe that Economy Minister Silvio Schembri is on the same subcommittee government has appointed to implement the recommendations, as well as Justice Minister Jonathan Attard, who had previously stated that the public inquiry would not reveal anything different than the magisterial inquiry.
The public inquiry was eventually carried out, and not thanks to government, Grech said, adding that it was done despite the obstacles government put in the way when they voted against it in Parliament
He said that the conclusions found the State, therefore government, responsible of the "comedy of errors" which led to national tragedies at the workplace or in peoples' own home.
Grech countered Abela's claim that the inquiry did not mention any Ministers responsible, by saying all of government was responsible, and the first step would be for all of government to apologise for voting against the inquiry.
"The Prime Minister said that the report has high moral authority, and so I invite you to vote in favour to formally adopt the report," he said.
Grech continued that it is not acceptable for people to live terrorised in their own home because there's a cowboy who does whatever he wants, and risks the safety of these families.
"It is not acceptable that someone loses their life in their own home, like Miriam Pace, or at the workplace, like Sofia," Grech said.
He questioned where PL Oppositions were to insist on public inquiries if previous PN governments were failing, and said that between 2019 and 2024, under a PL government, there were seven serious tragedies near construction sites, where two died, one person died months later, and the rest escaped death narrowly.
"The State has an obligation to protect the people," Grech said, adding that government is trying to escape responsibility by digging into the past, and reminded that what was done wrong in the past remains wrong.
Grech said government displayed the wrong behaviour and did nothing for five years. He said that Abela does not want to restrict himself to six months for the implementation of the inquiry recommendations, but rather wants to discuss it after one year.
"The time for discussion is gone. It is not time for responsibility and action," Grech said.
In its motion, the PN is calling for a report in Parliament on the recommendations every four weeks, so that Parliament can surveil and monitor the implementation.
Grech said that if government votes against this motion once again, for political responsibility to be shouldered, it would be confirming the sentiment the public has that it will not do the right thing.
He named several Ministers who are allegedly involved in scandals, and said that the reason why each individual in government will continue to vote together is because they are united by the seat of power, protecting each other as the public is not first and foremost for them.