Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said today that Simon Busuttil's objections to the Enemalta deal with China showed how the Opposition was increasingly isolating itself. 

It was no wonder that after Dr Busuttil's speech at yesterday's mass meeting, somebody played the song "Wake me up when it's all over" Dr Muscat joked when speaking at Dingli Labour Party club.

Dr Muscat referred to yesterday's Independence Day activities and said yesterday was the first time that the Maltese celebrated the anniversary as a united people. It had been unfortunate that under the previous governments, the opposition was excluded from official celebrations. That had been a humiliation for the opposition, which represented almost half the people. He himself when he was Opposition leader had had to await completion of the official celebrations before laying a wreath on the Independence monument.

But protocol was changed yesterday and he as Prime Minister and Dr Busuttil as Leader of the Opposition joined the President in paying tribute.

That was how the country needed to move forward. This country should give justice for those who suffered in the past, but it should not humiliate anybody and the government should work with all those who wished to work with it.

NEW SCHOLASTIC YEAR

Parents, he said, were not interested in divisive politics. Most of them were focused on the opening of the new school year. Tomorrow would see the introduction of co-ed education in government schools in Malta. This was an important change. Boys and girls should be taught together to avoid problems in the future.

Tomorrow would also see increased focus on vocational education in Gozo.

This government was spending €15 million on the refurbishment of schools this year, Dr Muscat said. It was not fair to open one new school a year, while forgetting the other children in old schools.

This government had also moved children's allowance payments forward because of the costs associated with the new scholastic year.

Dr Muscat said the government would seek to better understand what teachers needed and act in the best way forward in the interests of the country and society.

FITCH DOWNGRADE

Dr Muscat said the reports by credit ratings Fitch and Moody's had been noted. Some had rejoiced that Fitch had downgraded Malta, without realising that it was the result of last year's deficit under the previous government. Nonetheless, the present government was working to address the shortcomings which had been noted.

One of Malta's problems for several years was the huge debt under which Enemalta was labouring. This was an issue the new government was tackling with urgency and another credit agency, Moody's had praised Malta for the reforms which were being carried out, saying they would benefit the economy, consumers and, Dr Muscat said, he would add the environment.

As Moody's said, in March energy and water tariffs would be reduced.

ENERGY HUB THROUGH AGREEMENT WITH CHINA

The agreement with China had saved Enemalta and workers' jobs, Dr Muscat said. It would also lead to the creation of new jobs in the energy sector.

Everybody had praised this agreement except the leader of the opposition, Dr Muscat said.

Far from being secret, as the Opposition had said, this agreement would now be negotiated over a period of six months and would be subject to parliamentary approved. This was far different from the secrecy which had surrounded the sale of Mid-Med Bank.

And the deal with China provided for the sale of a minority stake, not a majority stake.

The former government had sold all its holding in a bank which was profitable, while the present government had been able to find a strategic partner for a company - Enemalta which was making losses.

This agreement would also enable the creation of a joint venture with China for the production of photovoltaic units in Malta for the European market. This new company would also be able to set up PV solar energy farms abroad and sell the energy.

Malta would also become an energy service centre to maintain power stations built in various countries, particularly in Africa.

Instead of being a millstone for Malta's economy, energy could become a growth sector, Dr Muscat said.

One only had to wonder what the Opposition's alternative was. Past record only showed a raising of tariffs. Or had the PN been planning to lay off workers, as they did at the PN printing press?

The PN was isolating itself, Dr Muscat said. That was shown in its arguments on the China deal. It was also shown in the revelations at the hearings of the Public Accounts Committee. Former Enemalta CEOs showed how problems at the corporation were ignored by the government. The PN leader, who was defending what happened in the past, thus also had to assume responsibility for the fact that people who left Enemalta took vital documents with them, and how they had cosy meetings with oil suppliers.

FOCUS ON HEALTH

Dr Muscat said the health sector had been left in pandemonium by the previous government and this would be a focus of the current government, going into the new year. Major reform was needed in the areas of the procurement of medicines and emergency care, among others.

Systems needed to be changed.

He insisted the health minister was aware of the problems and was committed to change things. "When people phone me complaining about out of stock medicines I don't tell them that even peas get out of stock at the grocer like the previous health minister used to do," he said, adding the Government was not happy with the status quo.

One also needed to stop 'obscenities' which had persisted for years, including the way how children were left with adults at Mt Carmel Hospital, potentially exposing them to sexual and other abuse.

Reforms were also needed in the prisons sector, particularly to assist in the rehabilitation of prisoners who may have made a mistake once.

KENYA ATTACK CONDEMNED

At the opening of his address Dr Muscat said the Maltese government condemned the terrorist attack which took place in Kenya yesterday. He noted that the terrorism was caused by a group which is causing instability in Somalia, from which the biggest number of migrants came to Malta.

This was another wakeup call on the need for the Somali legitimate government to be assisted to take full control of the country, he said.