Prime Minister Joseph Muscat acknowledged this morning that his appointment of Lou Bondi' to a government committee  had raised the blood pressure of many genuine Labourites.

"My reply to genuine Labourites, is that I understand your anger but what we are doing will change the country. At the end of these five years this country will be changed, with structures where we can work together even when we disagree, where injustices will be consigned to history and the country will revert to normality. But that takes courageous decisions," he said.

Mr Bondi' yesterday was appointed to a committee which will organise and coordinate national feasts next year. Among those who were very vocal in their criticism was Labour MEP Joseph Cuschieri.

Dr Muscat said Labour had promised appointments on the basis of merit and it would work with everyone. He would therefore defend government appointments, which included the appointment of people like Jason Micallef, who, he was sure, would do excellent work. Labourites, after all, had as much a right for appointments.

Many Labourites, he said, had pointed to the constant criticism made by Mr Bondi.

He would reply that much of that criticism was addressed at him, Dr Muscat said.

But when he was elected Labour leader he had promised an earthquake in the party  administration. That earthquake had drawn criticism but March 9 proved the decisions to be right.

Now he wanted to bring about a change in the administration of this country. 

Through the appointment of the festivities committee with such a cross-section of people, he was hopeful that next year Malta would turn a corner in that Nationalists would no longer regard Freedom Day as a 'Labour' feast and Labourites would not see Independence as the Nationalist feast.

HEALTH MINISTER HIMSELF SUGGESTED THAT JOHN DALLI SHOULD HELP

In other points of his interview, Dr Muscat said the health sector was rotten, and he praised Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia for his work.

He said it was the minister himself who phoned him when he noted that John Dalli had offered to help the government. It was the minister himself who had suggested that Mr Dalli should be invited to help the government in the health sector, because the last real plans for the health sector were drawn up by Mr Dalli when he was minister.

He was confident that Mr Dalli would be able to help remedy the situation at Mater Dei, Dr Muscat said Unless decisive action was taken, the whole system would collapse.

The changes would be brought in while the service remained free of charge, the prime minister said.

CABINET TO MEET LOCAL COUNCILS

Dr Muscat said the Cabinet intended to hold some meetings outside the Auberge de Castille and would be meeting local councils to discuss their particular concerns. 

MEP JOSEPH CUSCHIERI'S ANGER

Joseph Cuschieri

In his facebook post, Mr Cuschieri said he could not remain silent when faced with matters such as Mr Bondi’s ‘obscene’ appointment and he would not fear defending the truth and Labourites .

This appointment, he said, was a challenge to all people of good will.

He said thousands of Labourites were awaiting justice after the injustices they suffered by the government whom Mr Bondi had supported.

He also asked who was behind Mr Bondi’s appointment and who could steamroll over Labourites in this way. On March 9, he said, he had not voted for strange decisions such as this.