The citizenship scheme, as expected, dominated the first part of the Xarabank debate between the two political leaders. This is the first political debate between the two since the election.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil defended their respective position as they have been doing in the past months, with Dr Muscat saying that the scheme is endorsed by one and all while Dr Busuttil insisted that the Labour government had to change the scheme four times because of the pressure from all quarters.

“Your government says it listens, but it only listens after messing things up,” Dr Busuttil said. Replying, Dr Muscat said that the PN has damaged Malta by the work its representatives carried out in the European Parliament. The PM said that the citizenship scheme was proposed to the government after the election, and this is why it did not form part of the PL’s election programme.

Jibes were not missing in this first part, with Dr Busuttil saying that Dr Muscat feels comfortable with dictators such as the ousted Ukrainian President and Dr Muscat saying that Dr Busuttil is the only person who has not yet understood what wealth will be generated by the citizenship scheme.

They accused each other of damaging Malta’s reputation, with Dr Busuttil showing what he said were 300 newspaper cuttings which criticised the citizenship scheme as proposed by the government, and Dr Muscat replied by saying that the Opposition Leader was against Malta moving forward. Dr Busuttil reminded the PM that he had been against Malta’s membership in the European Union.

In a brief introduction Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil said that he wants a constructive Opposition and, as such, had voted in favour of 20 of the 24 laws passed by Parliament. The opposition will also be voting in favour of Marie Louise Coleiro Preca’s nomination as President.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat answered that the government is fulfilling the pre-electoral promises. The economy growth has doubled and the energy tariffs will be reduced. The government, he said, was gaining in credibility because it was carrying out what it proposed.

Smart meter scandal

On the smart meter scandal, Dr Muscat said that the government’s strategy was to catch the big fish, but after the six-week period allowed by Enemalta for those who “stole” electricity to come forward, those who do not will be charged in court accordingly. “We know who they are,” the PM said.

Dr Busuttil said that it should not have been the Prime Minister to decide, but the courts of law. In this case, there was not only theft of electricity, which amounted to €30 million, but also bribery. Instead of zero tolerance to corruption, the government was opening its arms wide to it. The police commissioner was a puppet in the PM’s hands, Dr Busuttil said, with Dr Muscat replying that he had never attacked institutions as the Opposition Leader was doing.

At one point Dr Busuttil said that the PM had institutionalised corruption, with Dr Muscat rebutting that in the past there had been Prime Minister who interfered in attempted murders.

Dr Busuttil said that the PN was not against the reduction of power bills, but the way the Labour Party is trying to fulfil its promise would lead to risks to people’s lives. The anchoring of a gas tanker in Marsaxlokk Bay, the size of three football fields, would be a constant threat to the residents of the area. The people of the south, fishermen and even Labour MP Marlene Farrugia were against the project but the PM was too stubborn to listen.

Dr Muscat said that Enemalta risked a collapse which would have had severe consequences on the economy, but the government had managed to sell part of it to a Chinese company. He said it was successive PN governments who had turned the south of Malta into a dumping ground. The PL had pledged to remove the cancer factory – referring to the power station – and it will be doing so.

Power station

Dr Busuttil said a report commissioned by the government had shown that the quality of air in the south had not deteriorated. Now the government wants to reduce electricity at the expense of the people’s safety.

Malta Taghna Lkoll

Dr Busuttil said that the government was not really acting on its pre-electoral slogan of Malta Taghna Lkoll, as one needed to be a Labourite to be selected. Dr Busuttil mentioned the police commissioner, the wife of Minister Konrad Mizzi, the brigadier of the AFM, Michelle Buttigieg (Malta Tourism Authority) and billboard star Willie Mangion as examples.

Dr Muscat replied that Dr Busuttil had been given a job as head of the MIC because he was close to the Nationalist Party, and that his company had benefited from contracts given by the then Nationalist government. Dr Busuttil replied that it is one thing to be selected after a competition and another thing to be selected just because one is close to the Labour Party.

Health

On health, Dr Muscat said that the number of medicinal out of stock had been reduced from 120 to an average of 40, while the number of patients kept in corridors in January dropped by more than half from 700 to 320.

For his part, Dr Busuttil said that the government had converted a corridor into a ward and this is why the number of people in “corridors” had dropped. He said that the government was creating discrimination between patients – those close to Labour were receiving their dues but others were not.

Cabinet reshuffle

Dr Muscat said that the appointed of Ms Coleiro Preca will give him an opportunity to reshuffle responsibilities in the Cabinet. Asked if he will take over health under his wing, the PM said people have to wait a few days to know.

Dr Busuttil said that when he become Prime Minister Dr Muscat had said that he was appointing the best Cabinet. But he was now changing it after only one year. It’s like a football coach who substitutes players after 15 minutes, Dr Busuttil said.

Hunting

Prohibition of hunting will not resolve the problem, Dr Muscat said to a comment made by Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Arnold Cassola about the collection of signatures to hold a referendum to abolish hunting. Dr Busuttil said that the PM had promised everything to hunters before the election.

Dr Muscat made it clear that he is in favour of hunting in spring, while Dr Busuttil said that the PN will speak out when the time comes.