Much more than just a mobile phone was lost this week, Opposition Leader says

● ‘Egrant report is the 1,500page story of the rape and destruction of Malta’

Keith Schembri’s mobile phone went missing this week but this was not the only thing that was lost, Opposition Leader Adrian Delia said on Sunday morning.

Speaking in Senglea, Delia said a phone was lost, and the credibility of our police force with it.

“In a normal 21st century country, a phone can be found in less than an hour. We have seen that the police force is not there to protect you, the citizens, but the biggest criminals in this country.”

Another thing that has been lost is the credibility of the Attorney General, “who did not simply lose a court case but was condemned by the highest court for breaching the constitution, and the rights of the Opposition Leader.”

The following day, in full tranquility, the AG said this is part of his job. “Imagine having a doctor who, instead of saving lives hurts people, and then says this is part of his job.”

A week has passed since he won the Egrant report court battle, but the government has not uttered a single word about this, Delia said.

“Not only a mobile has been lost, but also the faith that thousands had placed in this administration and the public’s trust in the institutions who are supposed to act in the interest of the people,” Delia continued.

“All the people can see now are the dark clouds of incoming storms that the country will have to face.”

The Opposition Leader said he was deeply disappointed that the Labour Party was only looking after its own interests. Even Labour MPs are saying that with the choice they are presented with, things will remain the same.

“Things will remain the same, even after the President said the government has been hijacked by a gang of thieves. This is not the Labour Party. This is a gang of criminals who have hijacked the PL and made it their own. After that, they hijacked the country, not to serve it but to make money off it, money that is coming from criminality. This is the worst form of destruction of democracy that there can be.”

Delia noted that Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne has said he went into politics to ensure that the PN is never in government.

“We are here to serve,” he told Fearne, “not only for Nationalists or Labourites but for the entire country.”

On the other hand, Robert Abela has told people to put their minds at rest because everything will remain as it is.

“The will not change, even after the publication of those 1,500 pages that tell a story of sadness, corruption and criminality, a tragedy of how criminals took over this country and stole your money, a story that these people will stop at nothing to get what they want. A story of murder and cover-ups. That injustice and criminality will continue.”

Delia said the Egrant report “is the 1,500-page story of the rape and destruction of Malta.”

Those who knew about the crimes mentioned in the report are accomplices, he continued.

“This is why the Attorney General kept insisting up until the last minute that the report should not be published.

“They said I would not publish it because I had things to hide. But I had pledged to publish the report before I had even had a chance to read it, because we have nothing to hide, nothing to be afraid of. Simon Busuttil did not lie. You lied. No one from the PN is mentioned in the report. None of are dirty, criminal or corrupt,” he said, to rapturous applause.

“We have to look forward and start building this country again from the foundations upwards. We cannot trust them to be the architects of a new Malta. It has to be a reformed and renewed PN to do that. We have to be humble and not think that we know it all. We have to keep our eyes and ears open and accept all those who wish to work with us. We have to again find the soul of the Nationalist Party – the party that always worked for the country.”

Delia continued: “We are doing all that the constitution requires of us and more. We are coming up with proposals to fix this country. We never imagined we would have to defend Malta from institutionalised corruption.

“Labour cliques are only seeing who will gain strength in their own party. But we understand that Malta comes first and rebuilding this country together is the absolute priority. We are all in the same boat. We can either move forward together or sink together. Each and every one of us has a responsibility of speaking up for this country. We are of Malta and for Malta.”

Delia gave out a message of hope - hope that we can get out of this mess and fix the country.

“The hope that there are politicians for whom Malta comes first.”