Sunday, 12th October 2008 - 11:56CET
Muscat welcomes minister's statement on the banking system
An elderly supporter greets Dr Muscat this morning.
Opposition leader Joseph Muscat said this morning that the opposition welcomed the somewhat late statement by the finance minister on the soundness of the Maltese banking system.
Dr Muscat said at a political conference in Qrendi that all data indicated that there was no cause for alarm in the local banking situation. The opposition was therefore satisfied with the minister’s statement last Wednesday and was in line with it.
Dr Muscat referred to his visit to Tripoli last week and said he was positively surprised that the agreement the MLP had sought was concluded in three days. It was a breakthrough that Libya had agreed to set up two committees with the MLP, an opposition party, on Mediterranean policies and energy.
The MLP was committed to European policy, but Malta also had a role to play in the Mediterranean region.
In the energy sector, the MLP was seeking to create a framework on which it could build once it was returned to office. If that framework was set up earlier, the government was free to use it.
And he wished to again thank Dom Mintoff for his assistance for this visit, in the interest of the nation, Dr Muscat said.
He augured that when Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi again went to Tripoli, in a few weeks’ time, agreements would be reached in the national interest. The opposition was prepared to help.
The Labour leader referred to the proposed new utility tariffs announced by the government. He said that at a time of international financial turmoil, while governments abroad were bailing out their economies, in Malta the economy was bailing out the government.
What was the use of issuing a Budget consultation document which said nothing on the most important thing, the utility tariffs?
The MLP would in the coming days announce its own strategy on water and electricity, while also issuing its critical assessment of the government proposals.
The impact of the proposed electricity tariffs would be far more than between €1.5 and € 5 per week per family, as the government had claimed, Dr Muscat stressed. The government should correct its figures immediately.
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Comments
Taking into consideration that this banking carcass is brought about by Thatcher's and Raegan's conservative manoeuvres, Mintoff's banking precautions have reduced the impact of today's credit crunch on the local market. Remember that today's problems were born in the seventies when Dom Mintoff thought that it would be inappropriate to liberalise the market at those times.
Nobody can deny that Borg Olivier brought an Indipendenza farsa where we still remained a colony of the British Empire. If another war would have broke out between after 1964, Malta would have been bombed as a British servant.
The case of Kajjin and Abel poorly described by Ray Gatt was an evident situation. Mintoff was not only proved right by all the European leaders but also praised for his words by the Arcbishop during the Archbishops' 31st Congress of the Blessed Name of God.
Mr.Gatt should also wake up to the realities of history when it was the Nationalists' party in 1981 that made way for political unstableness and turmoil. It was after the Nationalists' stubbornness in the 1981 that the Maltese population started to feel dissected. Later on I think that the Nationalists' 87-campaign should be marked in history as the most electoral campaign in which so many lies were told and retold! As soon as Eddie Fenech Adami reached the office of Castille, the Maltese people recognised that the Angli tal-Paci had flown away!!
Many of us still need to open there mind and stop ''breathing'' politics 24/7!!!!!
And if a former prime minister is trying to help, why not? Just grow up or shut up!!
being a declared non political eyed boy , it is not in my interest to argue who is the best negotiator , but with regards of agendas we can say that loads of them but we never concluded any .
I totally agree with you that this could have been done to get political milage but what impressed me most of Dr Muscat was that he managed to hit right on the spot the timing of his visit and the delegation chosen to take with him . Being a pro Alex or not is not the case but definitely he is the ideal person to have around .
We have to wait to reach any conclusions but now the ball is in Dr Gonzi s hand to keep on rolling it . Hopefully he would not divert it into a political dispute cause here we are playing with our international reputation .
As for AST, why not? As Secretary for International Affairs, he's experienced enough.
We're back into the past.
Dr. Gonzi is as good a negotiator as Joseph is and then some. The agenda of setting up joint committees on Mediterranean policies is nothing new and have been talked about several times even in DR Michael Frendo's time. The problem with setting up these committees, is that with Libya running hot and cold, it is hard to gauge the utility of such committees.
Joseph augurs well for Dr. Gonzi's visit to Libya and that he would help for the success of the talks with them. Was Joseph's mission to lay solid grounds for Dr. Gonzi's visit? I have my serious doubts. Was it timed to pre-empt the PM's visit and collect some brownie points?
To answer AMI's questions regarding budget proposals:
1. The question is contradictory because one cannot present proposals when the agenda is already set.
2. The publicity encouraged debate which may cause the government to reconsider some of them. When the government considers counter proposals, then the final decisions are taken and presented to Parliament.
3. An economic impact assessment is hardly worth the paper written on at proposal stage since the proposals could be modified after public consultation. Why do it twice?
Why did this government ask for proposals when he had already a written agenda ?
Why were the tariffs made public and no parliamentary debate was held?
Why didn't Dr Gonzi order an economic impact assessment ?
these are serious questions that the opposition leader is pointing out , which this present prime minister should take in consideration . This is all in the interest of whole nation