The Nationalist Party said today that the way the Opposition went about the parliamentary debate on the ratification of the European Financial Stability Facility showed that Joseph Muscat had handed the PL's economic policy to his predecessor Alfred Sant.

The party noted that prior to the debate, the Opposition declared its backing to the  government's position. Joseph Muscat confirmed this when he spoke in the House on Wednesday. But then he left everything in the hands of Alfred Sant and was no longer seen in the House for the rest of Wednesday's sitting or the sitting held yesterday.

Dr Sant's actions in parliament showed that the PL's policy on economic affairs was in his hands, the PN said. It also showed that PL policy was still built around its opposition to EU membership.

What Dr Sant had done, with Dr Muscat's blessing, had cast Malta in a bad light and could have embarrassed the country. It also showed that Dr Sant, Dr Muscat and the PL were not interested in the initiatives to rid the EU of uncertainty, even though the EU was the destination of most of Malta's exports and the source of most of its tourists. the PN said.