Busuttil slams ‘embarrassing and insulting’ PBS

In a scathing attack on the Public Broadcasting Services (PBS), Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said PBS is "arrogantly censoring what could embarrass the Labour government," in reference to the station's failure to report Edward Scicluna's admission that the government rushed on the controversial citizenship scheme.

Speaking on PN's radio station this morning, Busuttil said that if the PBS thinks that Scicluna's admission was not news material as PBS had said, "it does not know what a good news story is if it hit them in the face."

Addressing a financial and economic affair committee meeting in the European Parliament, Finance Minister Edward Scicluna admitted that Malta had rushed on the Individual Investor Programme and said that it would be corrected.

Citing media imbalance, the PN leader said that while other news agencies gave prominence to Scicluna's comments and the PN's subsequent reaction, the PBS opted against reporting any of them.

As a result of the PBS "insulting the people's intelligence by arrogantly censoring the government's embarassments, the PN has filed a case with the Broadcasting Authority against the PBS," the PN leader said.

Citizenship Scheme | "The government's responsibility to remedy Malta's embarrassment"

Meanwhile, on the controversial Individual Investor Programme (IIP), Busuttil, said that despite Prime Minister's admission that the government had rushed, "it is ultimately the government which has to shoulder the responsibility for Malta's reputation being turned into a laughing stock all over the world."

The Opposition and the government have been at loggerheads over the contentious citizenship scheme, with Simon Busuttil calling on the government to accepts its proposed amendments. In light of the House of Representatives approving the amendments to the citizenship laws, international media lambasted the scheme which is set to facilitate the sale of Malta's passport for 650,000.

"The IIP turned Malta into the world's laughing stock. What Malta cherished and what the previous PN governments had persisently worked so hard for went down the drain as the government, in a matter of nine months, came up with the idea of selling Malta's passport."

Busuttil said that the government must stop "bulldozing" over the Opposition and the rest of the country and accept that the citizenship scheme is not an investment scheme.

"Joseph Muscat is constantly reminded by the media's tarnishing Malta's reputation that the IIP is not a good scheme. As a result, while the Opposition is committed to extend its hand of cooperation and strike a consensus with the government, Muscat must realise that the scheme should be amended."

"The PN have long called for the scheme to be accompanied by a threshold of investment and a residence prerequisite," he stressed.

"Muscat's stance on migration yielded no fruit"

Turning his attention on the issue of illegal migration and the upcoming European summit, the Opposition leader said that Muscat's "stamping of feet and obstinate stance" over burden sharing has yielded Malta no results as so far, zero migrants were transferred out of Malta.

"While the then-Opposition leader Joseph Muscat had criticised the then-Nationalist governments for not providing an effective remedy to the influx of migrants in Malta, nine months into the legislature, the Labour government and its leader stance and talk has got Malta nowhere."

"On the other hand, the Nationalist governments, through perseverance and good sense, had managed to transfer 700 migrants out of Europe, which despite not being enough, is still better than nothing."

Busuttil said that Muscat had not delivered on his pledge of compulsory burden sharing by all member states, even though, back in October, he had said that he would take not be happy unless the EU made burden sharing compulsory.

The PN Leader also slammed the Prime Minister's "insulting and arrogant comments" levelled against the EU, and said that if Malta needs help, it must realise that it useless to insult and rant against the EU.

"Government should not rush on adoption for gay couples"

On adoption for gay couples, the PN leader said that it should not rush on legalising adoption by gay couples, but instead, it should stop and listen to the majority of the people, as they are "cautious".

Busuttil pointed out that currently gay individuals are allowed by law to adopt as the law does not look at the sexual orientation of the parent, but rather it seeks to safeguard the interests of the child. On the other hand, Busuttil said, the law does not allow gay couples to adopt, a feat which the government is currently seeking to amend.

However, the Opposition leader said that rather than hastily implementing adoption for gay couples, the government should conduct a social impact study to analyse the impact of gay adoption in Malta.

"The government must not repeat the same mistake it did in the citizenship scheme, and consequently, prior to amending the adoption laws, it should listen to the majority of the people who are expressing caution.

Meanwhile, Busuttil also lambasted the Prime Minister for his change in principle on gay adoption.

"In an effort to score political points, Muscat and the Labour Party changed their stand on gay adoption after it had previously stated that it was in favour of it. However, the government  realised that the votes could swing the election in their favour and as such, decided to shed their previous stand."

President should be chosen by the Opposition and government

On the choice of the next president, Simon Busuttil echoed the calls of President George Abela after the latter had said that the next presiden should be chosen by a wide consensus.

During his Republic Day speech, President George Abela said that the next president should be a chosen by a wide consensus of all the country's political forces in order to ensure that the chosen person will be acceptable to all parties.

"In line with the government's slogan 'Malta for All' (Malta Taghna Lkoll), the Opposition must have a say in the choice of the next President and the choice should not be solely vested in the Prime Minister's hands," Busuttil said.

"Just as George Abela was unanimously approved by the House of Representatives," the PN leader argued, "the next president should be chosen by both the government and the opposition."