The government's unacceptable behaviour has ensured that the public has already forgotten about the budget, Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil said this evening, in a speech in which he told Prime Minister Joseph Muscat that he had lost his moral authority.

Dr Busuttil was delivering his official reaction to the 2015 Budget, but the budget proved to be a secondary topic in his address.

The PN leader's speech appeared to recall then-opposition leader Eddie Fenech Adami's reaction to the 1986 budget, in which Dr Fenech Adami had famously declared that the budget was irrelevant in light of the abuses that had been taking place, including the frame-up of Pietru-Pawl Busuttil over the drive-by killing of Raymond Caruana at the Gudja PN club.

To drive the point home, Dr Busuttil even chose to conclude his address with his predecessor's rallying cry "Is-sewwa jirbaħ żgur" (good will surely prevail).

This time round, another shooting - the shots fired by National Security Minister Manuel Mallia's driver, PC Paul Sheehan, at a car which clipped the mirror of his ministerial car last week- took prominence, with Dr Busuttil opening by pointing out that all those who entered parliament had to be searched for weapons as a consequence, stating that such a situation had not been witnessed since the 1980s.

He said that the 2015 budget broke two records: it was the longest budget, but also the one which was most quickly forgotten, as people stopped talking about it within two days.

"The people are not talking about the government's budget, but about the government. And they are angry and disgusted at the government, at the Prime Minister and at his ministers," Dr Busuttil said.

"People are seeing the government's mask fall off, and they do not like what lies behind the mask."

Budget 'a cover-up'

Dr Busuttil said that the 2015 Budget was a cover up in every sense, as it sought to conceal the government's lack of economic direction, the introduction of new taxes, the fact that a Labour government has lost its social conscience after just 20 months, the government's abuse of power and its lies.

He said that his economic policy was that a government should not only foster the creation of wealth, but also ensure that it is distributed fairly, adding that the budget failed on both crucial points.

After noting that the economy was doing well - and stating that this proved that this government had not inherited a broken economy after all - he said that it was not enough for the government to rest on prior achievements: it had to implement a long-term economic vision to prepare for the future, which it has failed to do so far.

While at one point, Dr Busuttil observed that he was not a socialist, he appeared to present himself as being to the left of the governing Labour Party on a number of occasions.

He insisted that those who were most in need were the worst affect by the 2015 Budget, arguing that the taxes it introduced were regressive in nature.

The PN leader also criticised the budget speech's language concerning benefits claimants in light of the government's insistence that it will be fighting against abuse.

"What has it been doing in the past 20 months? You must always fight against abuse, but without spreading the idea that those who depend on social services are thieves," Dr Busuttil said.

He also condemned the government's assertion, in a similar vein, that taking social benefits was not a profession.

"Neither is being a minister's wife a profession, Prime Minister, but you still pay her €13,000 per month," the PN leader exclaimed, in a reference to Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi's wife.

Well-paid backbenchers and ministerial scandals

Discussing the budget only took up the middle part of Dr Busuttil's address, who then moved on to decry the lack of good governance.

He condemned the decision to grant high-paying appointments to appease government backbenchers, pointing out that as a result, two of them - Carmelo Abela and Silvio Schembri - earned more than the Prime Minister.

"And you were scandalised by €500... hypocrites," he exclaimed, referring to the weekly salary increase ministers were receiving after the previous cabinet decided that they should also earn an MP's honorarium.

Dr Busuttil then focused on individual politicians, starting with MP and lawyer Luciano Busuttil, who was found to have advised the Cospicua local council to cancel a contract which was then given to one of his clients. After describing this behaviour as obscene, he pointed out that Dr Busuttil, as chairman of the Kunsill Malti għall-Isport, has taken the unprecedented step of insisting that he should review all tenders issued by the council.

"I hope you are not planning to enter into further conflicts of interest," he said, addressing the MP.

He condemned Justice Minister Owen Bonnici for failing to announce his involvement in a traffic accident, and for subsequently failing to step down until the case against him was concluded, leaving a magistrate with the task of sentencing the person who could make her a judge.

"A greater conflict of interest has yet to be imagined," Dr Busuttil quipped.

Dr Busuttil then turned his guns on Social Policy Minister Helena Dalli, in light of the revelation that illegal works were being carried out on a property she owned. He questioned how she was unaware of this, when the property in question is very close to her own home. After noting that Dr Dalli would likely justify this by pointing out that a promise of sale had already been signed, Dr Busuttil said that he was offering to give her free legal advice, pointing out that since the property was still hers, it was still her legal responsibility.

Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi was described as a one of a kind minister in Europe, stating that no other European minister would have the cheek to land such a lucrative job for his wife as an investment envoy in China. He questioned the results of her work so far, and questioned whether she had even found an office in Shanghai yet.

"Is it true... if so, we can send Willie Mangion to find her a garage, so at least he will have something to do, he said," referring to the singer who was given a contract to find a place for bands to rehearse after endorsing the Labour Party in the election campaign.

Dr Busuttil also noted that Transport Minister Joe Mizzi found a full-time government job as a cleaner for his sister-in-law and condemned Economy Minister Chris Cardona for his interference in the granting of a casino licence.

PM 'hostage' to Mallia

But predictably, his final target was Dr Mallia, with Dr Busuttil listing a number of controversies the ministry had gotten into before moving on to the shooting incident, starting by asking people to imagine having their child go through such an ordeal.

He then noted that the case was symptomatic of a system in which whoever was affiliated with the Labour government felt as though they could act with impunity.

Dr Busuttil also mocked Dr Mallia's assertion that his driver was a quiet man, stating that if this was the case, he wondered what the other ministers' drivers were liable to do. He then insisted that it was clear that people had lied to cover up what had happening, accusing both Dr Muscat and Dr Mallia of lying.

But worst of all, he said, was the surreal footage of the incident which showed the aggressor chatting with fellow police officers as though nothing happened while the victim had already been arrested.

The PN leader argued that people were angry that the perpetrator is yet to be arraigned in spite of all that happened, and reiterated that Dr Mallia had to be sacked, urging Dr Muscat not to be weak in the face of an abuse of power.

"If the Prime Minister was truly angry and disgusted by what had happened, he would have removed the minister, but he does not want to or he cannot; he is a hostage, an accomplice to Manuel Mallia," he said.

'You have lost your moral authority'

As he concluded, Dr Busuttil argued that this government was built on lies, including the promise that a power station would be built in two years and the claim of "Malta tagħna lkoll" (Malta belongs to us all).

He also insisted that the Prime Minister had no political principles whatsoever.

"You are neither a left-wing politician nor a right-wing one: your ideology is that of power... to gain power you are ready to discard your ideals and your principles, you promised everything to everyone, you bought votes and sold your soul, you discarded your social and moral compass. You have become drunk on power, it has gotten to your head," Dr Busuttil charged.

The PN leader also insisted that people were realising that this government had deceived them, and that it was built on lies.

"Prime Minister, your honeymoon is over. Today, you have political authority but you have lost moral authority," he insisted.

He then said that he could emulate the government in a bid to win the next election, by promising everything to everyone, engaging in clientelism and nepotism and act as though nothing happened in the fact of scandals, including shootings. But he said that he would not do so as he had another weapon: the truth.

"And I have no doubt that honesty can overcome lies, and that honest politics can win as I believe that good will surely prevail," echoing Dr Fenech Adami's rallying cry to the applause of fellow opposition MPs.