Discussions on the budget remained firmly in the background during today's parliamentary session, with PN Spokesperson for Energy Ryan Callus and PD Leader Marlene Farrugia choosing to focus on the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, and the serious concerns of the rule of law and competency of the country's institutions.
Callus, who is also the son of journalist, began by saying it was difficult to talk about the future on the country, or on the budget specifically, when a bomb had killed a journalist right before the country's eyes.
He said that Caruana Galizia was a unique investigative journalist whose work was always done in the interest of the nation and insisted that rights of journalists are sacrosanct.
Defining her death as a political assassination, Callus criticised the erosion of country's institutions, and specifically Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar, Attorney General Peter Grech, and Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.
Turning to the budget, he said that workers at EneMalta have become seconded to another authority Electrogas, while CEO Frederick Azzopardi said that he could not find qualified employees.
He also said that Enemalta's employees are working on an expired collective agreement, while the company makes a profit.
Callus criticised the number of contracts that are still retracted or hidden, something which he said Caruana Galizia wrote a lot about.
Speaking on the Lands Authority, he criticised Deborah Schemrbi's appointment as legal counsel, while also severely criticising her for comments following the murder.
He also said that workers are also being discriminated against, who are receiving minimal increases on their wages.
Callus praised Labour MP and Parliamentary Secretary Julia Farrugia Portelli for speaking out against a prominent Labour Party member.
Referencing statements issued by Caruana Galizia's sons, Callus said that the Prime Minister had lost the opportunity to unite the country, by refusing to start a new page in the history of the country, and continuing to allow institutions to be lead by incompetent individuals who choose when to perform their duties.
He also criticised the other side of the house, insisting that their passivity and compliance makes them complicit in the creation of a social environment where attacks like last Monday's become a reality.
Marlene Farrugia
Farrugia criticised the many institutions that she said were supposed to work autonomously, but continuously failed to protect the interest of its citizens. She said this was the result of an increasingly centralised government.
She said that when she had contested with the Labour Party and supported the Prime Minister, they believed that their work could build a credible country that helped everyone.
"The government only serves the inner clique, without serving the real needs of the public.2
Farrugia said that the supposedly Labour, or Socialist, Party does not have the interest of the country in their heart.
She said that the Electrogas deal, specifically the 360 million euro guarantee, was evidence of this.
This, she said, was only heightened by the 18 year contract to purchase gas for Azerbaijan, a country notorious for its horrific treatment of journalists.
"How can we work with a regime who treats their citizens this way? And now stories on Alliyev's widespread corruption have been released."
Joe Mizzi
Minister for Energy Joe Mizzi, after saluting Daphne Caruana Galizia, concentrated his speech on the energy sector and the budget. The latter had to take a back seat because of the journalist's tragic death.
Mizzi said that the government wants to build a water and energy inratructure and help families by reducing the prices. He said Malta imports 95% of the energy it uses and the government is working to address this, primarily by using more efficient and sustainable energy. By 2020, the government has to reach the EU 10% renewable energy target and as Joe Mizzi explained, the target will be reached especially thanks to solar energy and energy generated by waste.
“Throughtout my long career in parliament, I have been fighting to stop the air pollution on the soouthern part of the island. When I used to come here and ask about this issue to the previous administration, they used to turn their heads and no one was able to provide an answer. It had to be this administration to take action and now this problem has been addressed.