Updated | Busuttil blasts ‘discriminatory’ government

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil has lambasted the government for not delivering on Labour's meritocracy pledge, and for preferring to "award the party's inner circles and Labourites."

"In eleven months, the government has treated the Labour party's inner circles to a piece of the state's coffers. A minister's wife [the wife of Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi] was awarded a €13,000-a-month job, One TV journalists have been handed posts within ministries while vindictive transfers to accommodate Labourites were all carried out," Busuttil argued.

Addressing a party conference in Sannat, the PN Leader said the government's roadmap of creating work has discriminated those who are not close to the party.

"The proposed roadmap has not yielded any results as in less than a year, the unemployment rates have soared. Rather than focusing on creating jobs, it is satisfying Labour's grass roots," the PN leader insisted.

"This is discriminatory on both Nationalists as well as Labourites," Busuttil argued while hitting out at the government's "vindictive" transfers.

While paying tribute to former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi, the PN leader said Malta had weathered the financial storm and posted economic growth and increases in employment, but eleven months down the line, this has all been nullified.

"Unemployment rates are increasing on a monthly basis. The youths were promised more work opportunities, and now they are looking at a bleak future with no job," Busuttil said.

"Whereas the rest of Europe posted decreases in unemployment, Malta registered an increase in unemployment rates. To add salt to the already festering wound,  decreases have also been posted in imports and exports."

On Friday, the opposition's spokesman for economic affairs Mario de Marco flagged the discrepancy between job demand and job creation and while referring to drops in imports and exports, he called on the government to focus on job creation. However, de Marco's comments were quickly played down by the government, saying the PN failed to take into account an annual increase of 1.7% in the rate of employment at the end of the third quarter.

The government also said that PN is not taking into account the figures of the Labour Force Survey showing an annual increase of 1.7% in the rate of employment at the end of the third quarter.

2013 posted an increase of 600 people registering for work while Eurostat figures showed a 0.3% yearly increase in unemployment rates. Moreover, a 9% decrease in imports was reported while exports fell by 9% over the previous year. 

"IIP amendments tribute to PN's principles"

Turning his attention on the government's citizenship scheme, Busuttil said the recent amendments to the legal notice were tribute to the PN's hard work and principles.

"The Oppositon won on principle. Its vehement stands have yielded in the desired amendments. Notwithstanding its constant steamrolling over the opposition and the rest of the country, the government still affected the amendments."

"The secrecy clause was waived, an investment requirement was then included, and now, even though Manuel Mallia had threatened to quit from parliament, the government included a residency requirement," Busuttil argued.

Originally capped at a €650,000 donation, the IIP will now require wealthy foreigners to invest at least €1.15 million in order to obtain a Maltese passport, €650,000 of which will go to the National Economic and Social Development and the consolidated fund. Moreover, the government had previously announced that it would waive the secrecy clause.

Meanwhile, following its agreement with the European Commission, the government announced the introduction of a requirment for residence for one year, but according to Simon Busuttil, the "unclear" residency period of the legal notice differs from what the government agreed with the Commission.

"During a parliamentary meeting between opposition and government MPs, the Minister for National Affairs had said that he would resign from his post if the government included a residency requirement in the citizenship scheme."

"After the government had lied to the European Commission and told it that the government had extended its hand of cooperation and offered the Opposition a 12-month residency requirement, the PN had to come out and call out Mallia's resignation," he said.

Moreover, Simon Busuttil added that after reading between the lines, the government's amendments to the legal notice differ from what it had agreed upon with the European Commission.

"Whereas the law commits the main applicant to reside permanently, it does not say anything about the relatives of the main beneficiary. Instead of residing in Malta, these receive the Maltese passport in their mail without needing to ever set foot in Malta," Busuttil argued.

"Residency has to be true and real. All applicants and IIP beneficiaries have to live in Malta and those who do not live in Malta for the desired 12 months must have their passport repealed," Busuttil stressed.

Earlier this week, while addressing the PN faithful, Simon Busuttil had announced that the PN would be proposing further amendments to the IIP.

He argued that the law requests the main applicant to give proof of his or her 12-month residency, but said the law does not specify what kind of proof is needed. While lamenting the "loopholes" in the legal notice, Busuttil said a distinction was not made between those who buy the Maltese citizenship and those who gain it automatically.

'Alfred Sant's MEP election would further isolate Malta from the EU'

Meanwhile, in a scathing attack on Labour MEP candidate Alfred Sant, Busuttil called on Sant to "refresh his ideas."

Addressing the Labour Party's annual general conference for the first time since he gave way to current leader Joseph Muscat, Alfred Sant said people praised him for his stand against Malta's EU accession back in 2003, but nevertheless called on the party faithful to look forward and to work harder to ensure that what goes in the EU does not negatively affect Malta. 

However, Sant's comments were not to Simon Busuttil's liking, as he criticised the MEP hopeful of sending a mixed message.

"Labour's main candidate for the MEP elections was the face behind Labour's campaign against Malta's EU membership. Now he wants to become a member of the European Parliament. What has changed?" Busuttil insisted.

"Consequently," the PN leader insisted, "Joseph Muscat should not have allowed such people to contest the election as his election could further isolate Malta."

'Negativity has become synonymous with the PN'- Labour Party

In a reaction, the Labour Party has lambasted Simon Busuttil's "negativity", and dubbed his criticism of the government as "biased and pessimistic."

"While Joseph Muscat explained a concrete roadmap for Malta, the PN leader did not say anything about his vision for Malta, instead opting to criticise the government," the Labour Party said.

The Labour Party also accused Simon Busuttil of hindering the government's energy plan and its commitment to increase economic growth.

Echoing its response to Mario de Marco's comments on job creation earlier this week, the Labour Party accused the PN of overlooking new investment and also accused Busuttil of "scaring" the Maltese public with unemployment.