Busuttil vouches for Joe Cassar’s integrity, ‘won’t play Labour’s game’

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil says reports on connections between Gaffarena and PN MP ‘deviations from the true scandals’

File photo: Joe Cassar and Simon Busuttil
File photo: Joe Cassar and Simon Busuttil

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil has vouched for the integrity of Nationalist MP Joe Cassar, the former minister who set off the acquisition of a second-hand vehicle in 2012 from Joe Gaffarena against a €1,000 donation to the Nationalist Party.

Interviewed on Radju Malta’s Ghandi Xi Nghid, the PN leader insisted that the media reports surrounding Cassar’s acquaintance with property entrepreneur Joe Gaffarena were “nothing but Joseph Muscat’s attempts at deviating attention from the real scandals”.

Cassar has alleged being threatened by blackmail after having admitted donating €1,000 to the PN in lieu of his acquisition of a vehicle for his daughter from Gaffarena, who allegedly refused payment for the car. Cassar insisted that he had wanted to help Gaffarena out, who allegedly “had nothing to live from”. The claim was repeated by Busuttil, who said he would let radio listeners come to their own conclusion of how Cassar knew Gaffarena.

But host Andrew Azzopardi questioned whether politicians were so naive, asking Busuttil if – had he been Cassar – he would accept a car against a donation to the PN. “Irrespective of the amount paid, why would a politician – a minister – accept such a deal? How would I accept someone installing CCTV in my house? The arguments can be genuine, but they sound ridiculous,” the host said.

Standing by his MP, the PN leader said he “will not be drawn into these games” and he would instead remind people of scandals puncturing Labour’s administration such as the GWU’s lease of its offices to ARMS in breach of a government lease, the Old Mint Street expropriation, and the Café Premier bailout deal. “Instead of discussing these topics we are discussing the integrity of Joe Cassar and I will not fall for this deviation by Joseph Muscat.”

Busuttil said parliamentary secretary for lands Michael Falzon had met Joe Gaffarena to see what he knew about the PN. “Let us not forget that Gaffarena was with the PN but we showed him the door when he came asking for the petrol station permit,” Busuttil said of the permit MEPA refused Joe Gaffarena for the illegal extension of his petrol pump station in 2008.

But Gaffarena claims in an affidavit that Joe Cassar had helped organise a meeting between Busuttil and Gaffarena before the 2013 elections.

Busuttil reiterated today that, either way, Cassar had forked out the money for the car and he did so because “Gaffarena was in a vulnerable position”.

In an extensive interview during which the he spoke of transport, traffic and embryo freezing amongst others, Busuttil said local politics had been marred by antagonism, confrontational tactics and a lack of consensus.

“It’s easy to fall into the trap of this system... we need more open and European politics as our system is too parochial and, to a certain extent, pushes away those who come with new ideas,” Busuttil said.

While advocating the need to move towards politics of responsibility and accountability – “this government keeps trying to divert attention from its own scandals” – Busuttil denied his budget speech had been confrontational “because I was telling the truth”.

“As I said, you need to be part of the system if you want to change it,” the PN leader added, insisting there was nothing personal in flagging the relatives of MPs or ministers paid through taxpayers’ money.

Once again, Busuttil slammed the Public Broadcasting Services “for being controlled by the government” and insisted that “government’s propaganda was everywhere: PBS, Super One, newspapers... everywhere”.

Azzopardi immediately clarified that his own radio show was not “controlled by the government” with Busuttil adding he hoped so.

Following Busuttil’s criticism of former ONE TV employees now employed with the government, Azzopardi asked the PN leader whether he would stop Net journalists from joining ministries, if elected prime minister.

“I can understand, to a certain extent, why they would join the government,” Busuttil said, after Azzopardi pointed out “an exodus” that took place from Media.Link under the previous administrations. “The issue is the exaggerated wages they receive, some of them with salaries higher than what the Opposition leader receive, higher than what ministers and parliamentary secretaries receive,” Busuttil said.

He added that taxpayers’ money was “financing” the daily attacks against the Opposition.

Turning to the economy, the Opposition leader insisted that it was not true that wages had increased while manufacturing was registering decreases.

He said, that unlike the Nationalist administrations, the Labour government had failed to create economic niches. He said, that Malta had the highest rate of cost of living, with food being the highest cost.

“There are difficulties in the economy and we need to see that it is managed sustainably,” he said.

Busuttil went on to add that the government had thrown the environment out of the window.

The PN leader said that even genuine Labourites acknowledge that “we are an effective thorn in the government’s side”.

He said the Opposition would not only come up with alternative proposals but also present the PN’s vision on various sector for the years to come.