Marlene Farrugia unfazed by claims that PN asked Sandro Chetcuti to stand for election
● MDA chief says he refused offer, which PN does not deny it made
While the PN has not confirmed whether or not it is true that party leader Simon Busuttil approached developer Sandro Chetcuti to be a candidate in the upcoming general elections, PD Leader Marlene Farrugia said she is not worried, stating that any candidate would need to abide by the coalition’s manifesto.
It was reported yesterday that Malta Developers Association Sandro Chetcuti declared that he was asked to contest the general election by both Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Nationalist Party Leader Simon Busuttil.
According to the article which appeared in Malta Today, the MDA President said that he is not interested in standing for election, and told both parties that he would not consider their proposal.
Asked to confirm whether the PN asked the MDA President to contest, an official PN spokesperson said: “we do not comment on any candidatures.”
Recently, PD Leader Marlene Farrugia announced that Partit Demokratiku candidates will be contesting under the PN banner, which many took as meaning that an agreement has been reached between the two parties.
PN Leader Simon Busuttil has insisted however that talks are still ongoing.
The talks, which started months ago, are now “in their final stages,” Dr Busuttil recently told The Malta Independent.
While the manifesto is also not yet drawn up, Dr Farrugia had said that it would be a joint manifesto, one for both parties.
Contacted by The Malta Independent, Dr Farrugia said she does not know if it is true or not, that the PN asked Mr Chetcuti to contest. Pressed to say whether the idea of Dr Busuttil having approached Checuti worries her, said it does not.
“I am sure that ultimately the right decisions will be taken, and whoever forms part of the PNPD coalition, which is presenting itself as a potential alternative government, will know what they are in for and will abide by the rules and promises being made to the people.”
She spoke hypothetically, again stressing that she does not know whether what Mr Chetcuti said was true.
“If it is true, we will all abide by the manifesto we present to the people. We are not against developers, we are not anti-development. We are for sustainable development that keeps peoples’ health and the prevailing of our environment at the centre of any policy.
For us, the health of the people will be at the centre of our policies. Anyone who contests will need to abide by our set of promises to the public.”
Dr Farrugia said that the PD and PN are in favour of a studied national plan as to how things should be done, the impact they can have, their implications etc.
She mentioned that currently, the countryside is constantly being eaten up by construction.
“We want to ensure that we stop the devastation and take care of what is left. This does not mean we are against development. We are in favour of restoration, in favour of doing infrastructural projects to bring our country up to a seven star level.
“We have nothing against developers. We want a level playing field, so that every developer and investor who wants to invest in Malta would not need to go before any political party begging, but will win projects on their own merits if they deserve them.
“We are not against developers, but we are also not in favour of ‘make hay while the sun shines’ turning things upside down. We are in favour of sustainable development, through a plan.
“Both the PN and PD want state financing for political parties, where once and for all developers would not need to finance any political party.”
She said that this would result in an end to situations like the db Group saga. It would end situations where parties and developers are obligated to each other.
“I am not going to let developers drop down historic houses in Sliema. But I will create work in restoration and infrastructure, so there will be work.
“We are against the bad, where developers control the country and where instead of having an economy for the people, there is an economy for the few. It must be government that leads the country and not developers, but we work shoulder to shoulder for the good of the country.
What is important that every candidate who would appear on the coalition ticket, will be ready to commit that the manifesto we will present to the people, we will implement.
The sun should always shine on the Maltese islands, but it should shine and dazzle, and not scorch and burn.”