Labour leader Joseph Muscat yesterday heaped praised on his deputy, MEP Louis Grech, saying he had been tasked with the “single most important report at the European Parliament” and was therefore proof of Labour’s European credentials.
Dr Muscat said other European parliamentarians and political groups had lobbied and fought hard for someone from their team to be tasked with compiling a report on EU budgeting and financial management.
But without any lobbying, Mr Grech was approached by the European Socialist Party to handle the report himself. “This is the single most important report at the European Parliament. This is the person whom I have by my side,” he said as Mr Grech appeared to get increasingly embarrassed.
Dr Muscat and Mr Grech were guests on One TV.
Dr Muscat said the EU’s allocation of €1.1 billion in funds to Malta for 2014-2020 had been “noted”. However, it was not a matter of how much money the country got that was most important but, rather, how this money would be spent.
He lambasted Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi for “not rising above the political fray”, taking credit for the package and linking it to partisan politics claiming that Labour would make a mess of the funds.
“This is the nation’s money and not that of half the nation. How can he doubt Labour’s European credentials? Louis Grech was trusted with most sensitive reports. Facing an EU investigation on bus fares for foreigners, the PN cannot lecture us on European issues and management,” Dr Muscat said.
Referring to Malta’s EU presidency in 2017, Dr Muscat said the party was already thinking about this “big event” for Malta, which would have to see it mobilising all its resources over the six-month period and even before. He said that, if elected, he would want the opposition on board to make the presidency a success.
He spoke about Labour’s “positive” electoral campaign, “which was not about me but about the people”.
“We managed to hold back from reacting to negative attacks because we want to keep it positive. We are interpreting what people really want and this goes beyond how to vote in the upcoming general election. We are offering a vision, a future, a project of a united nation,” he said.
Dr Muscat again mentioned the PN’s “mess” in interpreting its own promise on refunding patients for out-of-stock medicines they would have to purchase from pharmacies. While Dr Gonzi was saying the Government would refund pharmacies directly, his deputy, Simon Busuttil, said the bills will be settled with patients.
He did not guarantee that a Labour government would not have out-of-stock medicines but promised to introduce a procurement and stock management system so that out-of-stock medicines “will be the exception not the rule”.
He also spoke about Labour’s proposal to split the planning and environmental arms of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and the promise to reduce development tariffs.