Quotes of the week

"Gonzi's biggest lie has been exposed... healthcare will not be free."

Labour leader Joseph Muscat on a report on primary healthcare, commissioned by government but officially kept under wraps.

"... The government disagreed with this advice."

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi on why the report on primary healthcare was discarded.

"I was shocked at the situation and decided your island needs help."

EU Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot after the European Commission decided on measures to help Malta and southern member states plagued by illegal immigration.

"We should have taken longer to introduce the changes."

Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt admitting the increases in water and electricity rates should have been introduced last January.

"Compulsory burden-sharing can have disastrous consequences for Malta."

Dutch Junior Minister for Justice Nebahat Albayrak on how the government's aim to push for obligatory burden-sharing could attract more asylum seekers to make the treacherous journey from Africa.

"It's not the first time couples get intimate on the backseat."

A taxi driver on how the proposed installation of a small surveillance camera would impinge on his passengers' privacy.