Valletta Summit, CHOGM and the Paris attacks

● Stampede in Paceville ● Marlene Farrugia resigns from PL

The month of November saw Malta make headlines in a number of international newspapers, due to the EU-Africa Migration Summit which took place in Valletta as well as the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. In addition to this, Paceville stampedes, unpredictable Members of Parliament and other scandals made local headlines.

The month started off with former Nationalist MP Joe Cassar resigning from the PN party after receiving gifts from property entrepreneur Joe Gaffarena. The gifts included paying for construction works, a security system and the donation by Dr Cassar to the PN in return for a car acquired from Mr Gaffarena.

Just two days later, in a rare move in Maltese politics, Dr Cassar resigned from Parliament due to the attack on his character which placed pressure on him and his family.

The Valletta summit saw both EU leaders and African leaders join together to discuss the phenomenon of migration which has been sweeping Europe. An emergency fund of €1.8 billion was launched in order to mitigate migration; however, African leaders said more fundamental economic change was needed.

Shortly after the historic summit, a series of coordinated attacks shook Paris and killed 130 people. The attack took place on an unseasonably warm Friday evening, 13 November, while many people were roaming the city and enjoying their evening. Most have seen this ISIS-backed attack as an assault on Western ideals and values.

Quiet moments in November were hard to come by, as one may recall the Paceville stampede at PlusOne club. A club-goer allegedly threw gas in the middle of the over-crowded club, causing the stampede and the glass balustrade to collapse, injuring 74 people. It later transpired that a number of those injured or at the club that night were under the legal drinking age. Club owners also received heavy criticism for only making available one entry and exit that night.

On another rare note in Maltese politics, independent MP Marlene Farrugia tendered her resignation from the Labour party, the parliamentary group and as chairperson of the permanent committee for the environment and planning. Her announcement was made by a hand-written letter which she sent to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. Her resignation came in the midst of a heated parliamentary debate regarding the Mepa demerger, where Dr Farrugia voted with the Opposition.

Shortly after Dr Farrugia made waves by resigning, she was again in the spotlight after Labour MP Joe Debono Grech could be heard in Parliament threatening her, “niġi għalik u nifqgħak”. His threat was made at the end of a debate about the Environmental Committee, and whether Dr Farrugia should retain a voting seat.

The Speaker Anglu Farrugia was asked to investigate the incident, where he ruled that both persons’ statements should be retracted. This was met with disdain by the PN as they believed that the ruling treated Dr Farrugia and Mr Debono Grech in the same light, even though the former was a victim of the latter’s threat. At a later stage, Mr Debono Grech apologised for his words however this has been seen by many as being unacceptable.

Social Dialogue, Civil Liberties and Consumer Affairs Minister Helena Dalli was also put in the hot seat as she towed the party line and did not condemn Mr Debono Grech’s threats. She instead said that when a woman insults a person she cannot expect to be protected by her gender. This was challenged by the public and the press however she stuck to her guns and commented that both of their actions were regrettable.

The CHOGM event marked the end of November, and saw members of the Royal Family, as well as world leaders from the Commonwealth countries meet in Malta for the second time in a decade. There was much excitement in the air about Queen Elizabeth II being in attendance, more so due to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and her love for the Maltese islands. The opening ceremony, the many forums which took place during the week, the Queen’s speech at the opening ceremony and the visit by Canadian PM Justin Trudeau were among the highlights of the short event. Unfortunately, Malta’s famously warm and pleasant weather did not hold true for the event, which saw heavy winds and rain.

At the illegal Montekristo Zoo in Ħal-Farruġ, a three-year-old child was mauled by a tiger. The tiger was being taken out on a walk, as it was reported to be feeling poorly. In his excitement, the child approached the tiger which is when he was mauled and injured. It was reported that the tiger had clawed at the child’s face. As a result the zoo was closed, and fresh guidelines and tighter regulations are to be expected.

November was jam-packed with international events, scandals, accidents and more. Malta made a few more headlines when its flag was shown in a list of 60 countries forming a ‘coalition of devils’ in a new ISIS video.

MP Joe Debono Grech apologised for his words however this has been seen by many as being unacceptable