Busuttil: 'PN will be people's voice in Europe'

Labour’s vision is limited to cutting fuel prices by 2c, one month after increasing it by the same amount, PN leader Simon Busuttil said as the opposition celebrated 10 years of EU membership in Valletta.

This, Busuttil said, contrasted with the PN’s vision to obtain EU membership in 2004, which he reminded was staunchly opposed by the Labour Party.

He however warned that the people should not take anything for granted and stressed that the while the PN would do its utmost to prevent the Labour government from weakening democracy.

“We will be the people’s voice, the people’s protectors in the European Parliament,” he said.

“We should be proud that the PN was right on EU membership, you the people were right in voting for membership,” Busuttil said, adding that two-thirds of the population support Malta’s EU accession.

“This means that not only Nationalists are in favour of EU membership, but thousands of Labourites and other voters who did not vote for EU membership.”

In a direct pitch for disgruntled Labour voters, he said “The PN worked for you too, not only for insiders. Even Labourites who voted against EU membership should not feel guilty for doing so, it was those who misguided you and betrayed you.”

The PN leader , who 10 years ago led the Malta-EU Information Centre, also said that he felt proud of playing a part in helping Malta join the EU and thanked former PN leaders for leading Malta into Europe.

With the European elections just three weeks away, Busuttil explained how EU membership had revolutionised all aspects of people’s daily lives and reminded that accession also brought higher standards.

“Take the environment, in just 10 years we have introduced standards of the highest level and today we have the cleanest seas in Europe,” he said adding that Malt had benefitted from over €1.3 billion in EU funds since 2004.

Pointing out that the current Labour government was busy thinking about the €1 billion it is aiming to raise through the citizenship scheme, “while it has not told us who it will use the €1.1 billion in EU funds which are available right now.”

He also underlined government’s weak democratic credentials, pointing out the Labour administration’s interference in the public broadcasting, the army and police force and the possibility of changing the referendum law to impede the spring hunting referendum.

Revisiting the events which led to EU accession in 2004, PN deputy leader Mario de Marco said “change was necessary for this country to become a modern and European nation,” noting with satisfaction that everyone, including Labour was celebrating EU membership.

De Marco said that over the past 10 years, “the European generation” saw the country change, adding that this would not have been possible without the vision and leadership of George Borg Olivier and Eddie Fenech Adami.

Looking ahead, de Marco - the son of the former foreign minister Guido de Marco who reactivated Malta’s EU membership application -  asked “what kind of Europe do we want to be part of?” He said that the EU must be closer to the people, act strongly on the big difficulties the bloc was facing, including migration.

“We expect the EU to practice solidarity and make sure that every country does not shoulder more than it can carry,” de Marco said, stressing the need to strengthen the Euro-Mediterranean dimension.

Turning to the present political situation he said “We also want a country which creates jobs for our young people, we want a country where the environment is protected and not destroyed, we want a country where corruption is punished and not forgiven, we want a country which enjoys a good reputation on the international circuit.”

EU membership was no easy ride, PN deputy leader for party affairs Beppe Fenech Adami reminded the party faithful, adding that “to this day Labour is not yet convinced that the EU is Malta’s natural home.”

Ina brief address to the crowd, Fenech Adami echoed the historical speech given by his father, Eddie Fenech Adami, insisting that the “PN has workers at hear and will defend them as it has always done.”

He also slammed the “shameful” government for “giving up” on creating new jobs and “losing its social conscience” and betraying the swathes of voters, including traditional Labour voters, by becoming a government for Labour insiders.

“This is not the government of workers, but it’s the government for the few, it no longer represents the people, but it represents a small group of greedy persons,” Fenech Adami said as reminded the crowd of the lucrative jobs given to former Labour officials and employees.  

In a direct appeal to “the thousands who voted for EU membership” and the rest of the electorate, Fenech Adami called for a “vote for the only European party” to the benefit of the country.

PN secretary-general Chris Said paid tribute to “the father of European Malta” Edide Fenech Adami who he said single-handily carried Malta to “its natural home” the EU. He also thanked former PN leader Lawrence Gonzi and his successor Simon Busuttil “who convinced the Maltese people to vote for EU membership.”

On the other hand, Said noted, Alfred Sant and Joseph Muscat two persons who “froze our children’s future” by leading a “crusade” against accession were today portraying themselves as pro-EU.

“10 years ago Lawrence Gonzi announced that we had become EU members, today Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced a 2c reduction in fuel prices,” the PN secretary-general said, adding that despite Labour’s change of heart, government was anything but European in its total disregard for meritocracy

“Let’s defend what we gained 10 years ago by having a stronger representation in the European parliament,” Said told the crowd in an appeal to “vote for all PN candidates.”