‘Joseph Muscat can pledge a lot of things, but not honesty and trust ‘ – Busuttil
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat can pledge a lot of things, but he cannot pledge honesty and trust, according to Leader of the Nationalist Party Simon Busuttil, making reference to yesterday’s magisterial decree.
Dr Busuttil, on the fourth anniversary of his election as Leader of the Nationalist Party, was addressing a bustling political activity in Santa Venera as part of the party’s electoral campaign, titled ‘I Choose Malta’. People crowded around the tent as others watched the event from the comfort of their own balconies.
Yesterday, Dr Busuttil announced on television that Magistrate Aaron Bugeja had ruled that there is enough evidence to warrant a criminal investigation into the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Keith Schembri, and the PM’s consultant, Nexia BT owner Brian Tonna. Dr Busuttil believes that the Prime Minister is guilty by association since his chief of staff, “his right hand man”, is involved in such “serious claims.”
“Despite all the pledges Joseph Muscat is going to come up with during the electoral campaign, he cannot promise honesty, integrity and trust,” he said, stating that the declaration proves further that while PM Joseph Muscat “went around the world selling passports as a salesman, his chief of staff was taking commissions.”
Referring to Dr Muscat’s pledges, he negated the latter’s statements that “the economy will go backwards under a Nationalist government.” “How can it be?” Dr Busuttil asked the crowd, “Did we ever have a Nationalist Party where the economy was not good?”
Claudio Grech, Shadow Minister for the Economy, said the Nationalist Party is prepared for the elections. Speaking about the economy, which has been called by the Labour government, he said that the economy did not grow in the past four years, but with the foundations from before it. He went on to say that over the past four years, despite what “Dr Muscat says about the economy,” no new sector was really created. He said that the economy has grown because of important sectors, like gaming and technological companies, which were initiated by the Nationalist Party. He said that the only sector that the Labour government has created is that of selling “our identity,” referring to the citizenship scheme.
Speaking at the event, Mario de Marco, Deputy Leader of the Nationalist Party, said that throughout history, each election has presented itself as a choice of different factors. He gave the examples of whether Malta was to remain a colony or independent, part of the European Union or not. On 3 June we have another important choice, he said, stating it is between “corruption and Malta.” He questioned the Labour Party slogan ‘The Best Time For our Country’, stating that it is the best time, rather, for the Prime Minister and “those who have companies in Panama.” Other Nationalist Party candidates who spoke were Justin Schembri, Liam Sciberras, Edward Torpiano, and Paula Mifsud Bonnici.