A case of stifled freedom of speech

The distinction between public office and a personal life has hardly ever received so much attention, albeit, tangential, since not many have made the point.

It seems that a lot of our opinionists do not make this distinction and in Parliament, this distinction was once again completely ignored earlier this week.

A Sergeant Major in the Malta Police Force assigned duties at the House of Parliament was the subject of an impassioned plea by the Leader of the Opposition. He seems to want to deny this Police Officer his right to express himself and felt threatened by some posts that were put up. So much so that what this officer did in his private life, is now being construed as what he might do in his professional one.

The offending posts are an expression and should be the officers right who is free to speak as he sees fit in his private life. Had they been posted on a professional site or in his capacity as a police officer, then the case would be very different.

The Leader of the opposition is denying this person his freedom of speech and this whilst he often champions this freedom.

It’s ok for some to call a large proportion of the population retards and monkeys and God knows what else, but it’s definitely not on for a police officer to post his expressions as a private person on the web.

You know what, we do not feel safe with the PN around, that’s why they were voted out of government

The above is a guest post by Pluto Hades