Malta Independent

Would I remove law protecting me if I did something wrong?

- Kevin Schembri Orland

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat yesterday evening said he would not have removed the law protecting politician­s if he had done something wrong. He was referring to the removal, by this administra­tion, of time barring on political corruption cases.

Speaking in Msida, the PM once again took aim at the PN-PD coalition, stating that the only thing uniting them is their position against him. “That is the only thing that ties the coalition together. The problem with the coalition of confusion is, that if they win, they probably would not even agree as to the time they should wake up. They agree on nothing.”

The PM said that in the past, Dr Busuttil had gone to Europe and complained about the IIP scheme. He said that selling citizenshi­p was not acceptable on principle and that to introduce a programme like that was not acceptable. “I expected Dr Busuttil to announce that he would remove it. Instead, yesterday, he said that he would keep it. Where has that principle gone?”

Dr Muscat again admitted that he is not perfect. “I know we disappoint­ed certain people who expected more from us, and I carry that responsibi­lity. But we are not hypocrites. We know where we made mistakes and we are ready to arrange mistakes and learn from them.”

Turning to governance and transparen­cy, he said that this government published every possible contract.

The Prime Minister said that the PN Leader is, to his understand­ing, showing that his proposals have no principles behind them.

“Dr Busuttil promised free childcare for everyone after we introduced it for those persons who work. If we want to do a race to the bottom, then we would do this.”

Dr Muscat stressed that the whole reason the PL introduced free childcare for was so that the parents could go out and work.

He asked: “Which stay-at-home mother would send their children to childcare? The mothers I know stay home to remain with their children? This proposal could be a poverty trap, as it won’t make it as worth it for them to go out and work. This is why I fear for the country.”

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