Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil said that the Labour Party (PL) does not deserve to be led by “those three corrupt people leading the party and Malta”.
Dr Busuttil was referring to Minister without portfolio Konrad Mizzi, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff Keith Schembri and Prime Minister Joseph Muscat himself while he was addressing a political event in Qormi.
Dr Mizzi, Mr Schembri and Dr Muscat are “drowning in corruption” the Opposition leader said.
He made reference to allegations that Mr Schembri had received kickbacks through the sale of citizenship, and that he will be presenting his evidence to the inquiring magistrate into the allegations.
“In normal countries, which we deserve, there would have been no need for the Opposition Leader to appear in front of a magistrate. In a normal country there are serious police commissioners doing their job and taking action.
Reference was made to the newly launched platform to crowd-sourcing, a website where people are able to submit their proposals. He said that a proposal which stuck out to him was one relating to an alternative to the current public transport system.
He spoke of social housing, and made reference to proposals announced for the elderly and their pensions. The PN is proposing that no income tax should be paid on any pensions.
Dr Busuttil said that currently, the elderly are receiving their pensions but they are not managing to keep up with daily expenses, having an effect on their quality of life.
“All those who do the grocery shopping for home, knows how the price of groceries have exploded.”
He added that all those elderly that are not on the registry for free medications have suffered through rising prices of medicines.
18,000 elderly persons are on the national minimum pension, and are not keeping up. Dr Busuttil proposed that the national minimum pension be raised to the level of the national minimum wage, from €147 to €169.
Turning to the situation where stay-at-home wives who do not receive a pension should their husbands pass away, Dr Busuttil called this an ‘injustice’, to which the seated crowd got on their feet and began to cheer loudly.
Onto service pensions to police who receive it after 25 years of service, it was stressed such pensions do not increase and are a flat rate. Dr Busuttil said that in the light of other pensions being increased, this decreases the value of the flat rate of service pensions. He said that this should not be the case, and pledged that a PN government would provide increases, at the least through Cost of Living Adjustment. He said that the PN would also make this scheme available to Civil Protection Department officers and hospital warders.
He slammed the Prime Minister for being against the PN’s proposals, which he said is tantamount to being against an increase in pensions for the elderly and quipped that maybe Dr Muscat has become jealous of the PN’s proposals.
Dr Muscat has been vociferously against the PN’s proposal of free childcare for all, and not just working mothers. Dr Busuttil slammed the Prime Minister for this, outlining situations where a mother could really benefit from the proposal, such as a single mother with multiple children where one is suffering from autism, or has a disability, and requires a little extra attention.
Addressing the event was spokesperson for Lands Ryan Callus, where he expressed his pride at serving Malta and the true interests of the people throughout his last four years as an MP.
Candidate Elaine Camilleri Schembri, contesting on the 6th district in Qormi pointed out how Malta is facing a snap election because of the crisis of corruption it is currently engulfed in due to the current. New candidate Kevin Cassar who is contesting on districts 6 and 2 made reference to Malta’s most troubled times in the 80s, under a PL government.
Peter Micallef, who is a new candidate contesting on the 6th and 7th districts said that Prime Minister Muscat called a snap election so he can go on being corrupt.
Other speakers were Alessia Psaila Zammit and George Muscat,
Spokesperson for family matters Clyde Puli stressed that principles translate into changes in reality, drawing comparison to the Labour Party’s disgust at the €400 clock gifted to former PN finance minister Tonio Fenech but has no qualms with politicians having offshore holdings in financially secretive jurisdictions.
He slammed Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajjar for reportedly sitting on Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit reports detailing allegations of money laundering and kickbacks.
Photos and Video by Paul Jones
