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Busuttil says PN shouldered responsibility by losing election
Opposition leader Simon Busuttil says Nationalist Party shouldered responsibility for errors by losing election.
9 December 2013, 12:00am
Jurgen Balzan
Jurgen Balzan
1 min read
The PN shouldered its responsibilities for the biggest corruption allegation to have rocked Malta by losing the election, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said.
Replying to the Labour Party's statement released earlier this afternoon, which said that Busuttil had "a lot to answer for" on the oil corruption scandal, the PN leader insisted that he was committed to exposing the whole truth and this was evident in his proposal to have an inquiry held by Parliament's public accounts committee.
Reacting to this morning's revelations in court, the Labour Party said emails presented in court have revealed that oil trader George Farrugia knew both former transport minister Austin Gatt and then Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, despite the two having denied knowing him.
However, speaking on RTK Radio, Busuttil said that before the March election seven persons were arraigned in court and asked why nobody has been taken to court since Labour was elected.
In February, MaltaToday revealed that commissions were paid by Trafigura and TOTSA to a former chairman of the Mediterranean Oil Bunkering Corporation, as well as the former chairman of Enemalta.
The publication of invoices showing the payments funnelled to petrochemist Frank Sammut led to his arraignment on charges of corruption and bribery, as well as Tancred Tabone, and business partners Anthony Cassar and Francis Portelli. Police investigators also revealed that Sammut and Tabone were silent partners in a Cassar's and Portelli's bunkering firm while still occupying public posts and taking decisions on the state's procurement of fuel.
Accepting and apologising for the PN's errors along the years, Busuttil called on Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to shoulder responsibility for the current government's errors since March.
Jurgen Balzan was a MaltaToday reported from 2011 to 2017.
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Mela skont dan l-għaref ta' Salamun, għax il-PN tilef l-elezzjoni allura dan patta bizzejjed għan-nuqqasijiet, inġustizzji, korruzzjoni u ħnizrijiet oħra li wettaq kemm dam fil-gvern? U ta' dawk il-miljuni kollha li serqu min ħalq il-poplu, min ser ipatti għalihom? U dawk li sofrew inġustizzji u diskriminazzjoni, bizzejjed li tgħidlhom li la issa tlifna l-elezzjoni allura ħallasna għan-nuqqasijiet li wettaqna? Daqshekk jaf jirraġuna daqn il-bniedem? Le Simon, ta' dak li wettaqtu għad tridu tħallsu u tħallsu sewwa. Min sofra diskriminazzjoni minħabba korruzzjoni jesiġi bi dritt li inthom tħallsu ta' dan kollu mhux biss billi titilfu elezzjoni , izda twieġbu quddiem il-qrati jekk ikun hemm bzonn. B'hekk biss tkun saret ġustizzja vera.
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How could the PN have already paid by losing the election, when NEW EVIDENCE is coming to light now, 9 months after the election ?????
Priscilla Darmenia •
Dr Busuttil you are wrong as usual. The PN did not shoulder the responsibility by loosing the election; the electorate made you loose the election because no one from the GonziPN government ever shouldered responsibility. – Continue on this track and the electorate will show you again that you failed to shoulder responsibility.
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Le Dr Busuttil, ir-responsabilta ta dawn il-hnizrijiet ghada ma ntrefatx, forsi qieghed tistenna il-hnizrijiet kollha jinkixfu halli terfghu ir-responsabilta ta kollox f'daqqa u mhux ta bicca bicca? It-telfa ta l-elezjoni ma ghandix x'taqsam mal-irfih tar-responsabbilta sakemm ma iddecedejtux li x-xolju lill-Partit. It-tebgha hemm ghada u hemm se tibqa. Ghadtulu lill poplu li kellu ragun iwarrabkom kif warrabkom? Mhux talli ma ghadtulux imma bl-ardit kollu qieghed tippretendi li jsir dak li tridu inthom. Kif tistghu tigu fdati li ma terghux taghmlu li stess? Darba wara li tliftu E.F.A qal li l-poplu ma fehemx, id-dritt divin li tippretendu li ghandkom biex tmexxu ghal gid lat-klikka ah skapitu tal-massa tal-poplu. Hallina Dr Busuttil u ghal-darba ammetti dejjem jekk ihallik taghmel hekk minn qieghed jigbidlek li spaga.
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SB's argument doesn't hold any water. If we accept his argument then how about Labour's 3 consecutive general elections defeats. Yet he still harps on Labour's past! The inconsistency of Simon Busuttil, to say the least.
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Are you really so Simple Simon, or do you take the rest of the world for fools?!? ... NICE TRY! ... You lost the election for many reasons, shouldering responsibility for one's actions has nothing to do with losing an election. One can only laugh at such logic lol
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Dear Dr. Simon. This is not enough. When wars are lost the users are forced to pay reparations. You offered nothing of this sort except harass the majority vote. Your place in history is doomed, You can use the European link to harass the majority but still your place in history is doomed - period.
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I do not agree that PN has shouldered responsibility for their actions, It was the people who decided for PN. I would have expected that the same persons that are named on a daily basis to have been involved in one issue or an other PN should take the necessary action that these persons do not form part of the PN any more. That is when PN would be shouldering responsibility
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So Simon thinks we are so stupid and treat the Maltese as a bunch of retards that by losing the election PN's slate has been wiped clean. So we should all go on our lives and let those who stole the people's money and those who should have administered the islands with so much incompetence, mismanagement and corruption to go scott free and forget any wrong doings on their part. Who the puck is Simon trying to fool.
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As a Lawyer, and Opposition leader does Simon Busuttil think it is correct just to say that the PN shouldered its responsibility for the corruption scandals of the Century involving several of its highest officials by just losing the election. Does the buck stop there? Where is the justice that Simon Busuttil swore to uphold when he was given the warrant as a lawyer, where is the justice that he swore to uphold when he became leader of the Opposition. No Simon Busuttil is absolutely wrong. The buck does not stop there. Justice must be done, those implicated must be arraigned in Court and political responsibility must also be borne by him, since he was deputy leader of his Party and MEP for his Party, and on his own words was the architect of the Electoral Programme of the PN for 2008-2013 which generated most of this corruption. He is as much to blame as all the rest especially when his then leader insisted on collective responsibility. Other world leaders resigned for much less than this. He and those involved should do the honourable thing and resign immediately and let his Party clean itself of the dirt, corruption, nepotism, discrimination and arrogance that 25 years in power brought upon them. Malta deserves a clean start.
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As a Lawyer, and Opposition leader does Simon Busuttil think it is correct just to say that the PN shouldered its responsibility for the corruption scandals of the Century involving several of its highest officials by just losing the election. Does the buck stop there? Where is the justice that Simon Busuttil swore to uphold when he was given the warrant as a lawyer, where is the justice that he swore to uphold when he became leader of the Opposition. No Simon Busuttil is absolutely wrong. The buck does not stop there. Justice must be done, those implicated must be arraigned in Court and political responsibility must also be borne by him, since he was deputy leader of his Party and MEP for his Party, and on his own words was the architect of the Electoral Programme of the PN for 2008-2013 which generated most of this corruption. He is as much to blame as all the rest especially when his then leader insisted on collective responsibility. Other world leaders resigned for much less than this. He and those involved should do the honourable thing and resign immediately and let his Party clean itself of the dirt, corruption, nepotism, discrimination and arrogance that 25 years in power brought upon them. Malta deserves a clean start.
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Well, fair is fair...
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Oh dear, less than a year in opposition and Simple Simon has completely lost the plot.
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Le Simon, ir-responsabbilta' ma terfaghhiex biss billi titlef l-elezzjoni. Nistaqsik jekk irragunajtx l-istess fil-passat, meta l-PL tilef l-elezzjonijiet. Sa qabel l-ahhar elezzjoni kontu ghadkom ghaddejjin bil-kampanja ta' biza kontra l-PL tfakkru fil-passat tal-PL, li allura, skont inti, ir-responsabbilta' ma tintrefax biss ghax titlef elezzjoni. Dak kollu li ghamiltu u li ghad irid jinkixef ghad irid jibqa' jigri maghkom ghal hafna u hafna snin, bhalma gara lill-PL.
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Someone should be put behind bars for this corrupted practice.The Pn and Simon should be ashamed to show their faces and speak in public.They tried to take us for a ride with their lies and corrupt practices before the general election,but we will never forget or forgive them for robbing us with their high utility tarrifs,shame on them!!
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Finding an easy way out aren't we Dr Simon Busuttil?
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Losing an election is not a sentence to the crime ~ ITS THE ARRAIGNMENT !
The SCANDALS are not closed chapters! Simon Busuttil is an ACCOMPLICE ..... IF HE DEFENDS THESE SCANDALS even if he states "he was not here"!
He was here all the time if not in body certainly in spirit AND HERE BY HIS OWN ADMISSION taking responsibility for writing TWO electoral manifestos!
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Losing an election is not a sentence to the crime ~ ITS THE ARRAIGNMENT !
The SCANDALS are not closed chapters! Simon Busuttil is an ACCOMPLICE ..... IF HE DEFENDS THESE SCANDALS even if he states "he was not here"!
He was here all the time if not in body certainly in spirit AND HERE BY HIS OWN ADMISSION taking responsibility for writing TWO electoral manifestos!
