PN deputy leader Mario De Marco today urged the government to publish the contract it signed with the Chinese state-owned company Shanghai Electric.

Parliament was supposed to debate the agreement signed by the government tomorrow, but Dr de Marco said the Opposition cannot hold a proper debate if the government does not publish the full contract.

Speaking during the House Business Committee, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela countered that the government has already published all the relevant documents and there are no other contracts to be published.

“I understand he might be referring to commercially sensitive documents not related to the agreement regarding the investment,” Mr Abela said.

Shanghai Electric has promised to invest a total of €320 million in Enemalta.

Reaching out to the government, Dr de Marco said he has no problem if certain commercially sensitive clauses in the contract proper are not published.

He said not every single clause in a contract is commercially sensitive.

Dr de Marco said the document published by the government resembles a memorandum of understanding and is not “the only document or the final document.”

Mr Abela countered that the government is being transparent, so much so that it proposed to hold a debate on the matter. He said under the previous administration commercially sensitive contracts were withheld.

Dr de Marco rebutted that the Labour government was elected on a call for more transparency. He said in the past, commercially sensitive contracts were published, but any sensitive clauses were withheld.

“Documents are vast and not every single clause is commercially sensitive...

“How can I scrutinise this agreement without the relevant documents. What am I going to debate, the government’s statements? What was published was similar to a MoU...

“Let us be serious this transaction does not tie just this legislature but generations of Maltese and Gozitans, the government should come clean, the Opposition is ready to protect commercially sensitive information.”

Replying to a request for higher-level talks to be held with the Prime Minister and Opposition on the matter, Mr Abela said he will not interfere if the Opposition does not want to hold tomorrow’s debate.

He said his mandate only extends to this debate and he cannot promise more at this stage.