Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi this afternoon pushed for Labour leader Joseph Muscat to "assume responsibility" in the controversy surrounding Labour deputy leader Toni Abela, saying the two parties' approach to corruption was diametrically opposed.
Speaking at a well-attended and boisterous mass meeting in Zebbug, Dr Gonzi argued that "while Labour ask the police to drop cases to make themselves look good, we have no fear in asking the police to investigate corruption".
Two separate recordings of Dr Abela dating back a couple of years have landed the deputy leader in political hot water.
In the first recording, Dr Abela is heard saying he approached a Labourite police officer not to take immediate action about a fight at a PL club. In the second, Dr Abela is heard talking about sacking a person from a party club following reports of someone cutting up a “white block” in the kitchen.
The second recording, Dr Gonzi said, was "scandalous". He expressed consternation that a top PL official would "hide a criminal act - a potential case of drug trafficking - just to safeguard his party's reputation".
Labour's glitz could not hide the party's true nature, Dr Gonzi said. "First we had Anglu Farrugia, then Tony Zarb and now Toni Abela. The mask is coming off, and what's behind it is decaying," he said.
Dr Gonzi's speech, which was explicitly aimed at young and undecided voters - "I appeal to those lukewarm to politics, or lukewarm to the PN," he said at one point - playing on voters' fears of toppling the apple cart.
The PN, he said, was the party that had a proven track record of managing the economy and securing jobs for young people. It was the party that had squeezed €1,128 million out of last week's EU budget negotiations, and the party which had always defended and strengthened student stipends.
"All this is in the balance. Don't risk it, nothing is guaranteed. All of it can be lost if those in power aren't prudent," he said. "The past five years were tough, and the next five will be too. But a country led prudently by the PN can overcome any challenge in its path," he said to cheers.
Labour leader Joseph Muscat was "the man who told me to follow Cyprus' economic model, who campaigned against the EU and marched in the streets when we privatised the dry docks. How can you trust him?", Dr Gonzi asked.
There were times when the chants and cheers forced the Prime Minister to pause. "We want the best for you young people," he said, adding, in a veiled reference to last week's University debate, that clapping and booing were only a small part of the picture.
"Young people want work once they finish their studies. We are the party that nurtures the economy, we are the party that gets you work."
Deputy leader Simon Busuttil, who opened the mass meeting, had a very similar message.
Electing the PL into power, Dr Busuttil said, would mean rolling back all the gains and respect Malta had won over the past years.
He had glowing praise for his party leader Dr Gonzi, crediting him for the €1.1 billion EU budget package Malta had secured.
Dr Busuttil also made an appeal to tepid voters. "Every vote counts," he said. "Those who don't vote are simply letting other people decide for them. Everyone has a duty to vote to decide their own future."