PN wants to send PBS workers to jail, Owen Bonnici says
With the court action filed this week, the Nationalist Party wants to send workers at the Public Broadcasting Services to jail, Culture Minister Owen Bonnici told journalists on Thursday.The PN filed a warrant of prohibitory injunction seeking the ha
With the court action filed this week, the Nationalist Party wants to send workers at the Public Broadcasting Services to jail, Culture Minister Owen Bonnici told journalists on Thursday.
The PN filed a warrant of prohibitory injunction seeking the halt of Budget adverts being aired on PBS, which was provisionally upheld on Monday, and on Thursday the party accused PBS of defying the court order and took legal action in order to inform the courts of this.
Bonnici, who is politically responsible for the national broadcaster, said that what the PN is referring to as Budget “propaganda” was also broadcast on the PN’s own television station NET TV.
“Not only are they bothered by the people being informed about the Budget, but they also went to take court action with the intention of PBS workers being found guilty of contempt of court,” Bonnici said.
“Everyone who knows the law knows what that means and knows that the consequences may even carry a jail term – and I fully condemn this behaviour,” the minister said.
He said that this is the type of “unacceptable behaviour” that means that the PN is “destined to remain in Opposition”, noting that the people do not want this type of behaviour.
“The people cannot understand why information can be broadcast on NET TV but when it is broadcast on PBS they file court applications to throw PBS workers into prison… it’s completely unacceptable,” he said.
Bonnici said that PBS will be filing a court application requesting that the prohibitory injunction which was filed by the PN is heard in an urgent manner. “This is serious and is worrying in a democracy,” he said, before adding that the matter must be resolved “today before tomorrow.”
He said that this is the first time that the PN has taken court action that would risk PBS workers going to prison, and said that he “fully condemns such action.”
Pointed out by The Malta Independent that this is not the first time that PBS’s impartiality has come under scrutiny and asked whether there will be reforms to increase the national broadcaster’s impartiality, Bonnici referred to recent changes in several top positions in PBS, including in its editorial board.
“These are people who are competent and who worked in the private sector and this will strengthen national broadcasting,” he said.