Opposition leader Simon Busuttil fended off criticism that his party has switched sides and is now objecting to privatisation, saying that water and electricity are essential services which should be kept under Government control.
Dr Busuttil was replying to questions from Times of Malta during a visit to the Vittoriosa local council yesterday morning.
The Opposition leader hit out at the Prime Minister for announcing the partial privatisation of Enemalta “from the other side of the world”.
The PN has criticised the Government’s deal with China unveiled last week, saying that the generation of electricity will be largely in the hands of a foreign company running the gas-powered plan and the Chinese Government which will have a minority stake in Enemalta.
Dr Busuttil justified the reservations expressed by the PN about this preliminary agreement saying that so far very little information about this deal has been revealed.
In his comments, the PN leader said utilities are too important for our country to be let in the hands of private companies or foreign governments.
Dr Busuttil described the partial privatisation of Enemalta as a clear example of the Labour Party’s lack of political direction, saying that this decision is coming from a party known for its anti-privatisation stance. The PL is forging ahead with these plans even though it had pledged not to privatise Enemalta.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat rejected criticism saying that the Government will retain control of the majority of shares in Enemalta, adding that, with the interconnector project launched by the PN government, Malta would still depend on Sicily for its electricity generation.
Probed about this point, Dr Busuttil reiterated that the new gas-fired power station will generate half the electricity supply, whereas the Chinese will have a minority stake from the other half generated by Enemalta. The PN leader argued that this will lead to a situation in which Enemalta will be generating less than half the electricity supply.