Labour leader Joseph Muscat gave his former deputy Anglu Farrugia “another blow” by contesting the election on the fourth district – which Dr Farrugia used to contest, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said this evening.
He was speaking during a Nationalist Party activity in Għaxaq, in the fourth district, where he spoke about the importance of house visits so that candidates explained the choice ahead to the electorate.
The Sunday Times interview with Dr Farrugia, he said, should open everyone’s eyes. After asking Dr Farrugia to resign unjustly, Dr Muscat wanted to give him “another blow” by contesting on the fourth district - the same district which Dr Farrugia would have contested.
Dr Gonzi referred to the part of the interview where Dr Farrugia spoke about contractors getting uncomfortably close to the Labour party. He again questioned whether this had anything to so with the PL’s proposal to separate the environment from planning within Mepa and whether this had an impact on Labour’s gas power station proposals.
Noting that Dr Muscat had refused to comment on Dr Farrugia's comments, Dr Gonzi said that what happened over the last 24 hours was very serious and should be important when the electorate considered their options.
The people should vote PN not only for its electoral programme but because the internal problems within the PL had now been exposed, he said.
“The fourth floor where they are meeting businessmen and contractors has been exposed,” he said adding that the PL had admitted to meeting disappointed businessmen and contractors. This, he said, was the first step to admitting that Dr Farrugia’s claims were true.
“Who are they, what role did they have in the drawing up of the PL’s policies,” he said.
He said Dr Muscat had tried to avoid answering but he“can run but he cannot hide.”
“Where is the money coming from for the billboards, the full-page adverts… The answer has to be given so that the people know who they are dealing with. He has an obligation to answer these questions,” Dr Gonzi said with reference to Dr Muscat,
Former Justice Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici said that, within the political world, it was essential to have strong Catholic values to be guided by.
“Even when he was attacked unjustly he remained loyal he said. He had passed through a lot… but remained a positive man who worked for the good type of politics,” he said.
However, he added, the Labour Party did not think twice before it “unjustly” kicked out deputy leader Anglu Farrugia “without a fair trial”.
“After spending four years with Joseph Muscat he (Dr Farrugia) wrote a letter saying he no longer has confidence in the Labour Party led by Dr Muscat. So how can we trust in the party?” Dr Mifsud Bonnici asked.