Kurt Sansone
Muscat urges PM to remove uncertainty and instability
The Labour leader yesterday stopped short of calling for an early general election, insisting the Prime Minister had to make the "necessary decisions" to remove uncertainty and instability.
"The Prime Minister is in denial about the problems he is facing internally and which have now become the country's problems. Lawrence Gonzi has few choices before him," Joseph Muscat said during an interview on One Radio.
The Labour Party was ready to assume leadership and project vision, he added, in what appeared to be a hint at calling for an early election.
"I do not have to waste energy focusing on internal squabbles. My team is ready to lead. We will not waste time and if people give us their trust we will work to create jobs, fight corruption, safeguard the environment and bring back stability and prosperity," he said.
Dr Muscat referred to the embarrassment the government faced last week in Parliament when two votes had to be carried through with the Speaker's casting vote after it could not muster a majority when Nationalist MP Franco Debono left the building before the vote was taken.
Three days after a total media blackout and following a private visit to his house by the Prime Minister and his wife, Dr Debono said he left Parliament to convey a message that MPs had to be treated with dignity.
Dr Muscat said the problem was not Dr Debono but Dr Gonzi's leadership.
Dr Debono's actions, he added, were symptomatic of a wider problem created by the Prime Minister.
"Dr Gonzi burdened families with exorbitant water and electricity bills, allowed inefficiencies to grow, attacked those who defended the environment and now wants families to pay for healthcare," Dr Muscat said, pinning the country's problems on what he described as the Prime Minister's "patchwork leadership".
The Nationalist Party's internal squabbles had spilled over and were now creating a political crisis in the country, he said, insisting Dr Gonzi's "strong pair of hands have turned out to be hands of clay".
"I am seeing a government that is crumbling and a Prime Minister who has lost control," Dr Muscat said.
He hit out at the high water and electricity tariffs announced last week, which, he said, would worsen the economic problems.
"In one fell swoop, the new tariffs have wiped out any positive effect the Budget's stimulus package might have had," Dr Muscat said.
He spoke of a moral crisis created by the Prime Minister's defence of the Danish company that won the new power station tender and which had been involved in corruption cases abroad. Dr Muscat said even the consultants chosen by Enemalta and the Malta Resources Authority on energy matters, Lahmeyer International, had been blacklisted by the World Bank because they were involved in corruption.
Reacting to Dr Muscat's comments, the PM said the Labour leader ended this year in the same way he started it by being "negative, superficial and offering no vision".
"Joseph Muscat revels in allegations and fictitious stories, offering no vision and void of any political substance. Dr Muscat has confirmed once again how lightly he is taking his job as Opposition Leader, believing that politics is conducted with cheap comments intended to discourage people," the PN said.
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Galea. L
Dec 21st 2009, 22:56
J Martinelli
If you think that you can take the [people for a ride as Gonzi is trying to do you are grossly mistaken Martinelli.
The uncertainty and instability in the Gonzi Government are there for all to see except those who have such dark blinkers even though they live in far-away Canada.
As regards the tariffs they are not to make good for the price of oil, but to cover for the incompetence, mismanagement and inefficiency og Ginzi's Government and EneMalta.
This is apart from the saga of changing the law so that the new polluting power station extension could be granted to someone who got 4 million euros commission with total disregard for the environment and our health and having to change the extension to work on gas in four years time at a cost of another estimated 30 million euros and commissins etc etc.
J Martinelli
Dec 21st 2009, 21:34
@ joseph saliba
Indeed! It will give Joseph time to recuperate from his sniffles and for his spin machine to invent some new allegations of the usual stuff like corruption, high energy prices, backbenchers' revolt and other stuff definitely belonging in Labour's baggage and which they are so desperately tying to unload on somebody else!
Merry Christmas to Joseph and may Santa be good to him and maybe he will get an accurate watch with a Swiss (not in the Med) movement, which will help keeping him punctual!
Alexander Morana
Dec 21st 2009, 18:47
The only problem with JM will be to find himself as unexpected Prime Minister, the least possible way and then he will have to fulfill his promises and show what leadership skills he has? NONE
joseph saliba
Dec 21st 2009, 16:36
Well timed joseph. Just when the PN declared political silence in order to let us enjoy CHRISTMAS. A MERRY CHRISTMA TO JOSEPH AND ALL OF US.
J Martinelli
Dec 21st 2009, 13:42
If only Joseph starts acting as a responsible gentleman and stop making false allegations then all the 'uncertainty' he talks about will immediately disappear.
"The Labour Party was ready to assume leadership and project vision..." We have been begging to hear from Joseph' what his vision is, myopic as it appears to be, and tell us how he proposes to achieve his vision, at what cost to the taxpayer, and then, only then will people listen.
His pet topics appear to be two: the NP instability which is mainly in his mind and the electricity tariffs. If only he can be honest and tell the public how he proposes to lower the rates and where the difference between the revenue required to purchase the fuel and the price of oil, will come from!. Just ONE simple question which he refuses to answer. Not in his own Sunday club visits, and definitely not to the Press!
It takes much more to govern than to set energy rates, but Joseph has no idea and he is so new to the game that will take him years before he learns the ropes.
Joseph Cauchi
Dec 21st 2009, 13:31
Question:
Is Joseph Muscat the first Leader of the Opposition in Maltese history that has no votes from the electorate, i.e. ZERO?
KMB was the first PM with zero votes!
I would appreciate an answer.
Thanks.
JC.
I Abela
Dec 21st 2009, 10:01
Dear Dr. Gonzi, rest assured that us citizens are absolutely not discouraged by negative comments made by Joseph Muscat and his PL. What discourages us is the massive debt Malta has accumulated since 1987, the projects and reforms that were listed in every electoral manifesto since 1987 and to date have not yet been implemented. The corruption and carelessness that exists in almost every government department. The jobs for the blue eyed boys, even local council tenders adjudications are given to blue eyed boys. High energy tariffs when oil was cheap, paying for primary healthcare, etc etc etc. This is what discourages us Dr. Gonzi.