'Government insulting intelligence of the people...' - Sant

Opposition leader Alfred Sant accused Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi of treating people like "imbeciles" in his handling of the resignation of John Dalli.

"The government is insulting the intelligence of the people. It's an incredible whitewash," Dr Sant told journalists at a news conference yesterday evening.

Dr Sant was clearly an unsatisfied man and raised several questions just hours after one of his main political adversaries resigned from his post.

A resignation of a prominent minister like Mr Dalli holds very serious implications for both government and the country, and the Prime Minister was duty-bound to explain the chain of events leading to the decision.

Instead, Dr Gonzi had failed to give an acceptable explanation and, rather than hold a press conference or give a clear statement in parliament, he had chosen to publish correspondence, which he exchanged with Mr Dalli.

The Labour leader asked why Dr Gonzi had accepted Mr Dalli's resignation when it seemed that he had found no wrongdoing.

Dr Sant reiterated that it was the Labour Party that had originally claimed that Mr Dalli used his position to influence a deal between Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), an Iranian shipping company, and Gauci Borda Shipping Ltd, a company in which Mr Dalli's family members had an interest.

Dr Sant asked whom Mr Dalli was referring to when he said he was "being attacked from different sides". It was certainly not the Labour Party, which had always been forthright in its allegations against Mr Dalli.

He said that Mr Dalli's attack on journalist Ivan Camilleri was an indirect attack on the prime minister himself. Mr Camilleri's brother happened to be Dr Gonzi's spokesman," he said.

Dr Sant said that every operation in which Mr Dalli, or his ministry, had been involved had always raised questions. In fact, the MLP had been informed that in the last few days there were other allegations against Mr Dalli, he said.

When probed to give further details, Dr Sant said there were question marks involving Mr Dalli or his ministry's dealings with Libya, the Tal-Qroqq hospital, and a Dutch contract.

He asked how Mr Dalli had the tenacity to remain a Member of Parliament and scrutinise the operations of the government when he had been bundled out of office with several serious accusations.