PN leader Simon Busuttil said today that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had not explained why the country’s deficit had gone down to €200 million euros but, at the same time, public debt rose by €373 million.

Addressing a political activity in Paola’s main square, Dr Busuttil said that the prime minister is insulting the people’s intelligence.

Dr Busuttil reiterated that the government is distributing medicines to persons according to their political allegiances, rejecting claims to the contrary by the government.

Dr Busuttil said that he genuinely believed in the EU for a better Malta and said that the government is funding Labour’s MEP campaign “out of your own pockets”, that is from taxpayers’ money.

On MEPA, Dr Busuttil said that a permit was issued to an individual for a development next to Hagrat Temples. He reiterated that the PN would be filing a motion in parliament so that the permit is revoked.

He said that that government found a job for Super One journalists but not for those registering for work.

Anne Fenech, the president of the Nationalist Party’s executive, who formed part of the panel, said that she formed part of a team who conducted a report on the PN’s defeat and said that she had come across a number of people who were disgruntled and voted for the PL during the March 2013 general election but today these same individuals are regretting their decision.

One of the main issues which had led to the PN’s defeat was that the PN had lost touch with its own people.

She said that the former AFM Commander had all the necessary requirements to serve in that role, but was forced to leave his post, adding that the new commander leapfrogged from major to commander in weeks, describing the move as disrespectful.

On Dolores Gauci, the former CEO of Mt Carmel Hospital, who was transferred to COO of the mental health services, she said that meritocracy was not practiced in this case either since she was replaced by a Labour election candidate Clifton Grima.

Another case mentioned by Dr Fenech was regarding the business partner of the wife of the prime minister, Michelle M. Buttigieg, who was appointed as a representative of the Malta Tourism Authority in New York.

NET television host and former PN information officer Frank Psaila said that it would be unjust to tie the MEP election result to whether Dr Busuttil should stay on as leader depending on the outcome since in one year, one cannot expect things to change so much.

He said that this MEP election is a difficult one for the PN and if there was an underdog in this election, it is the PN since it starts off at a 36,000 vote disadvantage.

Comparing the March 2013 general election campaign of the PL to the MEP election campaign, he said that at the time he flew a white flag and could promise everything to everyone but this time around it’s a different story.