'I will not bow down to pressure on LNG tanker' - Comodini Cachia

Therese Comodini Cachia, the Nationalist party’s main sponsor against the mooring of a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal at Delimara, has refused to bow down to pressure and reiterated her stance against the government’s proposal, Sunday newspaper Illum reports.

Notwithstanding the previous controversies surrounding Delimara and neighbouring Marsaxlokk and Birzebbugia, which occurred under previous administrations – namely the Freeport and the Delimara power station - Comodini Cachia underlined that it was useless to dwell on bygones as these cannot be undone.

“The implication that I should bow out of the issue because I had not demonstrated against the previous PN government is nonsense, I cannot go back in time and rectify the issues. Conversely, I will continue to address the citizen’s concerns,” Comodini Cachia told Sunday newspaper Illum.

Comodini Cachia rebutted claims that she is making a mountain out of a molehill to score political points.

“If my criticism is solely intended to scaremonger and to exaggerate, then so are the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) experts,” she said.

“None of these experts’ reports are guaranteeing the safety of the resident, but conversely, they are merely playing down any incidents to a mere possibility,” Comodini Cachia argued while insisting that the safety of residents should be prioritised.

Paying tribute to PN leader Simon Busuttil, the MEP candidate defended the party’s criticism, instead insisting that these only sought to distinguish the good from the bad.

“The PN is not hindering the government’s work. Simon Busuttil only criticised those measures which were not properlyplanned out and those which are set to adversely affect the people,” she continued.

She said that "energy, dedication and sincerity" will characterise her modus operandi if she is elected.

Read more in today's edition of Illum.