[WATCH] Joseph Muscat’s ‘no comment’ on Labour veterans’ petition asking him to stay

Joseph Muscat on petition asking him to stay

Joseph Muscat will not comment on a petition unveiled last Saturday by three Labour veterans, asking him not to step down from the party leadership.

The Prime Minister said this morning that he was aware that Tony Zarb, a former secretary general of the GWU, and Labour veteran activists Emanuel Cuschieri and Guza Cassar were concocting something but did not know what. He was speaking to journalists after attending the signing of a collaboration agreement between the Institute of Tourism Studies and the Emirates Academy for Hospitality Management.

“I’d rather not comment on the initiative,” Muscat said on Wednesday when asked by MaltaToday whether he knew about the petition and whether it had his endorsement.

Zarb, Cuschieri and Cassar unveiled the petition last Saturday in Gozo at the same time that Muscat was on the campaign trail in the sister island.

READ ALSO: Labour old guard is petitioning for Joseph Muscat to stay on as PM

The petition aims to convince Muscat not to leave “because Malta still needs him”.

Muscat has pledged to step down before the next general election but has so far not given any indication when this will happen.

At the start of the European parliament election campaign, Muscat told supporters he would be dedicating all his energy to the campaign and that he was focussed on it. The Prime Minister has not entertained questions on his future.