Labour leader Joseph Muscat yesterday shifted the focus of the Mistra case off Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, saying the case was used by the PN to distract people from more important national issues.
Dr Muscat said he respected the court's decision to exonerate two former members of the Development Control Commission from any wrongdoing in the case. But he also respected the Mepa auditor's report, which concluded that the permit should have never been discussed because it breached all environmental principles.
The court noted it was normal practice for Mepa board members to meet politicians on individual applications, Dr Muscat said.
He said he was not amazed that the Prime Minister saw nothing wrong in this because he also saw nothing wrong in his Finance Minister breaching the code of ethics by accepting gifts from businessmen.
Speaking during the PL Msida committee's annual general meeting, he gave details of his 10 pre-budget proposals, which included ways of stimulating the economy and easing the cost of living.
This, he said, was the first party in opposition to propose solutions to the government in such a concrete way, adding that proposals were also made with regard to immigration, water and electricity bills and the cost of living.
Dr Muscat said the Prime Minister did not seem to understand basic economic principles because he was causing uncertainty through talk of a possible hike in water and electricity rates just before Christmas, undermining the chances of economic recovery.
He criticised the government for doing next to nothing to narrow the gender gap and quoted a report saying that Maltese women were in a worse position of equality than those in Vietnam and Kazakhstan but, thankfully, better than women in Zimbabwe. Malta was the last on the list among EU countries.
"While other countries are improving their ranking, Malta has consistently fallen in the past four years," he said.
He praised Joanna Drake on her recent appointment a top European Commission official, saying she was a symbol of the capabilities of Maltese women.
He also congratulated his "friend", Michael Briguglio on his recent appointment as chairman of the Green party Alternattiva Demokratika.
Dr Muscat criticised the government for "exploding" the country's deficit unnecessarily through indecisiveness.
He said an advertising campaign to promote the concept of a Smart Island had cost €256,000 and the mishandling of the Fairmount contract cost between €40 and €80 million.
The Ċirkewwa quay project, which had been 13 years in the making but has nothing to show for it, cost €18.5 million, he added.
In response, the PN said Dr Muscat was acting as if there was no global recession and was making Malta seem to be in crisis when, in fact, it was coping well in comparison to other EU countries, especially when it came to employment.