In its now typical extreme stand, far-right party Azzjoni Nazzjonali declared it will work for a healthy society that is crime-free.
“We sustain that society has become the victim of criminals, but this must change. The criminal must be scared of society,” said AN leader Josie Muscat, addressing a press conference yesterday morning on the theme of ‘a disciplined society is a happy society’.
In a general tirade against the ‘excesses’ of youth, Muscat emphasised that the laissez-faire attitude of young people and their egoism had brought about a loss of values within society.
“It is clear we live in a time where sacrosanct principles have been forgotten, and this is no surprise because these principles require distinguishing between good and bad, which today has been lost in favour of relativism…
“We rebut the mistaken idea that criminals are victims of society, as we deny any sentiment of absolving individuals of their responsibilities, and from the consequences of their actions.”
Muscat said AN’s criminal reforms would include a “total revision” of offences and punishments. He described certain court sentences concerning paedophiles, theft and the assault of the elderly as “ridiculous”.
AN promised life sentences for premeditated homicide, human and drug traffickers with no possibility of an amnesty, as well as the confiscation of personal assets from illicit gains in the case of public funds embezzlement.
Muscat said minor offences such as littering and vandalism would incur pecuniary fines calculated as a percentage of personal income, and community service.
He said the party would introduce a register of paedophiles, rapists, and “recidivists who committed sexual offences”, offering the people the option to vote in a referendum whether to introduce the register or not.
Implying that the crimes committed by foreigners was increasing in Malta, Muscat promised to strip citizenship off foreigners with a criminal record in their native countries.
AN said it would fight crime by “investing in the education of our children”, highlighting that “discipline is the basis of everything” and that the party intends “giving teachers their job back. Parents have been intruding in their job. This can’t be accepted. It is completely unacceptable that teachers are threatened or scared of being beaten up simply because they are doing their job,” Muscat said.
He said the party would introduce a serious Whistleblowers’ Act.
AN also outlined its stand on families being exclusively composed of “a man and a woman, who unite in marriage, deciding to have children whereby these benefit from their character and educational traits”.
Muscat said Malta should aim at crime levels that are low in wealthy nations like Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

sagius@mediatoday.com.mt