[WATCH] Joseph Muscat: ‘I swear in God’s name that I will keep telling the truth’

A forceful Joseph Muscat appeared before Labour supporters to once again declare that he had nothing to hide, that he was not lying and that he was confident that the truth would out.

Using former Nationalist prime minister Eddie Fenech Adami’s rallying cry, Muscat said that what is “right will prevail” [is-sewwa jirbah zgur].

Standing before his audiences, Muscat swore that he was telling the truth.

“I rarely refer to Him when I speak but today I will: I swear, in God’s name and before you, that I will keep telling the truth,” Muscat said to applause.

Evidently emotional, he spoke of the support he and his wife received over the past days. The party faithful stood up in applause, delivering a standing ovation that saw Muscat placing his hand over his heart and reassuring his supporters that his heart was “smiling… because I know I am serene”.

The Labour leader described his Nationalist opponent as being “desperate”, who will hold a national demonstration on an obscene and baseless lie.

“I have nothing to fear,” Muscat said, as he reminded that the only evidence provided by Simon Busuttil was a photograph of a luggage.

The Labour leader was welcomed to a show of support (Photo: James Bianchi/MediaToday)

“I have nothing to fear because I’m telling the truth,” Muscat repeated. “I have nothing to fear and that is why I asked for a magisterial inquiry. I have nothing to fear, and that is why my wife and I gave our testimony – because those who have nothing to hide do not refuse to appear before an inquiry.”

Muscat was referring to blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia, who on Saturday gave an explanation as to why she had turned down Magistrate Aaron Bugeja’s request to appear before the inquiry.

“But I want to thank Busuttil because never before have so many people approached the Labour movement to join us,” he said, adding that out of this story of “lies and thorns, a rose will flourish which will make us stronger”.

The Labour leader urged supporters to go out and talk to people to see what they were thinking over the whole Egrant saga.

End of the heavy fuel oil era

The Prime Minister announced that as from tomorrow, Malta will cease making use of heavy fuel oil to generate its electricity.

“The fairytale is tomorrow becoming a reality,” Muscat said to more cheers and applause. “Tomorrow is the day that Malta stop making use of heavy fuel oil for good as the gas-fired turbines will be switched on.”

The switch to cleaner energy through the use of gas was the Labour Party’s main electoral pledge for the 2013 general elections.

“The cancer factory will be closed for good,” he stated, adding that the delivery on its pledges gave the Labour Party credibility.

“We succeed where others fail and this credibility will now be used for more infrastructural projects and transport.”

Muscat took the opportunity to reveal that the government would, in the coming days, announced a new investment in the country that would create hundreds of new jobs, along with training of workers “to ensure that the jobs are taken up by the Maltese”.

He said, that it was his dream to see the eradication of poverty from the island over the coming three years: “We will eradicate poverty from Malta.”

He said that the Labour Party’s proposals to mitigate traffic are based on studies that have been going on for months: “These are the studies and proposals which the people will trust us to implement the project in the best possible way and in the shortest timeframe.

Likewise, he said, people will trust his party to solve the problem of the rent market – where people are finding it hard to keep up with the repeated increases.

Turning to the country’s security, Muscat said the government is also working on proposals that will strengthen the fight against criminality; on local enforcement, Muscat said it doesn’t make that wardens are employed by the private sector.

“We will be launching a consultation process that will lead for the public employment of wardens.”