Muscat to announce Shadow Cabinet in two weeks' time

Labour leader Joseph Muscat said yesterday that in two weeks' time, he will announce the Shadow Cabinet where all the Labour MPs will be dealing with a particular sector.

The portfolios will include subjects that are not catered for by government ministers but which are important for a modern society, he added.

Speaking during the programme Dissett on TVM yesterday, when he was interviewed by Reno Bugeja, Dr Muscat said he would be making changes on which brief is given to whom. It does not follow that one will be given a particular portfolio just because that person had that portfolio in previous Cabinets.

Moving on to other themes, Dr Muscat said the government cannot expect the Labour Party to give something for nothing.

"The government cannot expect to get what it wants with the Labour Party staying mum."

While adding that he appreciates the role of the government and that of the opposition, he took into account the fact that the result of the last general election did not give the Nationalist Party a majority.

Reiterating that there is a space for everyone within the party, he noted that "I will be dismantling systems that failed to work. I want to bring about an earthquake, not to cause an upheaval but to shake things up and where blood needs to come out, blood will come out," he said.

Asked about his apology last Sunday, he said he finds no problem in apologising for the party's past mistakes. On the other hand, however, the Nationalist Party ought to apologise for its mistakes during the 60s when many families were hurt.

The Labour Party had brought about a lot of improvements but had suffered during the past years because it had remained silent allowing others to write its history.

Referring to decisions by the tribunal for injustices, Dr Muscat called on the Prime Minister to compensate about 50 people with whom an injustice had been committed.

This was being said in the light of the thousands of liri that had been given out to certain people as compensation, he said, without specifying who these persons were.

Passing on to golf courses, Dr Muscat queried their economic worth when Malta had dragged its feet over this issue while competitors had made great strides in this field.

Expressing disagreement with the development of Ħondoq ir-Rummien, he said the country should go for land reclamation which countries similar in size to Malta had gone for.