Muscat urges PN leader to shoulder responsibility for the mistakes of the past

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat urged Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil to shoulder responsibility for the mistakes made by the previous administration rather than affiliating himself to it only when it was convenient.

Addressing a Labour Party rally in Bormla, Muscat criticised Busuttil for disassociating himself from the issue of weak concrete used at Mater Dei hospital, and the recent revelations that the Financial Medical Services, under chief executive officer Brian St John – today CEO at the Nationalist Party – had signed a waiver in 2009 to exempt construction company Skanska from any legal procedures. 

Muscat also criticised Busuttil for his attack against Gozo works whistelblower Joe Cauchi for his testimony in the case against former Gozo minister Giovanna Debono’s husband. In his testimony last Tuesday, Cauchi said that during their meeting, Busuttil had questioned why he had carried out the works when it was clear that PN would lose the election.

“Such a comment implies that this wrongful doing would have continued under a nationalist government,” Muscat said.

“This is the first time the whistleblower act has been used, an act which was not allowed under the previous administration. Busuttil is trying to intimidate the current witness, and he is also intimidating any potential whistleblowers,” Muscat stressed, adding that the government would guarantee protection to those who would help to bring the truth out.

During his address, Muscat also pledged that the government would continue to make difficult decisions in the name of progress for the country.

“It’s easy not to make certain decisions,” he said underlining the previous governments inaction towards issues like reducing utility bills in the country and stressing that Malta had once again registered the greatest drop in electricity bills in the EU, as well as the lowest prices in fuel in Europe following a series of decisions made by this government.

“We are amassing wealth for the country, the deficit and public debt have dropped significantly, so that the country is currently enjoying the strongest financial situation it has seen in the last 15 years.”

Muscat explained that some of the priorities for the government included Health, education, infrastructure and giving stronger foundations to the crucuial national airline.

“We inherited a reality of a smaller hospital, out of stock medicines and endless waiting lists from the previous governments, but we are slowly solving these issues one by one,” he stressed citing the low incidence of out of stock medicines, as well as the drop in waiting lists particularly in cataracts and heart surgery.

Muscat said that the government was also ensuring better investment from private sectors into the health sector.

“We will work with these entities to ensure the rebuilding of St Luke’s hospital and of Gozo General Hospital,”

Quoting the citizenship scheme as an example of successful governance, Muscat said the scheme had been so breaking and positive that many other countries were copying our example.

“These countries look at the benefits to their economies first and foremost,” Muscat said stressing that Malta had managed to have the best program for citizenship investment schemes by being the first to do so."

Muscat also stressed that the government never forgot its roots and promises, and it had already honoured some of its promises with regard to developments in Gozo bringing investments into a new medical school in the country as well as a film production in the area. He once again pledged he added pleded the government’s commitment to the south.

“The south has been considered the rubbish dump of the country; we recognize the differences and the issues that effect this area specifically,” he stressed saying that many were discriminated against due to their locality.

Muscat said that the American University of Malta, a Jordanian investment, planned for the South, would “breathe new life into the south.” 

“This project will be a success for all the country,” he stressed to raucous applause.

Muscat added that the government held that the idea of plurality in tertiary education was also essential to the government.

Addressing the issue around the fact that the chosen site was an ODZ, Muscat insisted that he was consulting with environmental entities in private, and that the government was open to compromises.

“Last week, the eNGOs’ suggestions to change the SPED were accepted,” he said explaining that the government wanted sustainable development and that it would be listening to environmentalists and giving them peace of mind towards more respect to the environment.

Muscat stressed that the government was committed to creating sustainable development and that developments in ODZs was the last resort, but that the government was being realistic and it would not deny certain developments in the areas in the face of challenges like population growth among others. Addressing the jubilant crowd deputy leader Toni Abela opened his speech with a humorous anecdote to refer to the way that the government had had to contend with many deteriorated situations; in some cases literally; he said referring to the inferior quality of concrete used at Mater Dei hospital.

“Opposition leader Simon Busuttil doesn’t have the political character to shoulder responsibility for the mistakes made by others before him,” Abela said, explaining that Busuttil had been involved in many issues although he continued to deny it.

“Busuttil was deputy leader and as such, he cannot disassociate himself from the past government,” he added stressing that Busuttil was no longer credible since he only associated himself with the party when it was convenient.

Referring to the PN rally and its insistence against the Zonqor Point development, Abela stressed that Busuttil should also show people the projects that had been built in other ecological areas in the south. He stressed that PN had made plans for five projects in the south, including one at Zonqor Point itself.

Abela added that PN had purposely left out the government in the issue to ensure that their strong claims on the additional parliamentary seats were not heard.