Several opposition politicians have
expressed dissent about the decision by Premier Giorgia Meloni's
government to declare a day of national mourning for ex-premier
Silvio Berlusconi on Wednesday, when his funeral takes place at
Milan Cathedral.
"A State funeral was due, but the day of national mourning was
decided on by a government that Berlusconi helped to create,"
said ex-minister Rosy Bindi, a member of the opposition,
centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and a former politician for
the once-dominant but now defunct Christian Democracy (DC)
party.
"The government has risked exposing the country to division.
"A day of national morning had never been proclaimed for a
premier (unless they went on to become president) and it has
always been done to unite the country, not divide it.
"It is held for the victims of bombings, of terrorism, of
natural disasters.
"Those who should be called on to adopt discretion in the face
of the death are on his political side, because piety and
sharing the pain does not justify sanctifying a person who had
merits but also had great limitations that continue to have an
impact on the country".
Several other PD politicians also said declaring a day of
national mourning was inappropriate although the party's leader,
Elly Schlein, is attending the funeral.
But ex-premier and opposition 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader
Giusppe Conte is not gong and neither are Italian Left (SI)
leader Nicola Fratoianni or Green chief Angelo Bonelli.
Paolo Barelli, the Lower House whip for Berlusconi's Forza
Italia party, said those criticising the decision to hold a day
of national mourning were "discordant voices" that wanted to
created a row out of nothing.
"I think we are only realising now the greatness of this
figure," Barelli added.
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