The Nationalist Party is the party that always worked and will continue to work for a better Malta, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said this evening when he addressed a rally at the PN headquarters on the first day of the MEP election campaign.

“We have to show that this is a party full of energy and ideas... We have to show what the party means today that it is in opposition.

“It believes in politics built on principles and values, on that which is right, on truth and honesty, humility, on being of service to the people, on working for the advancement of the country and not the party.”

He spoke about achievements made by the Maltese including in sports, music and the health sectors, achievements that he said were countered by the Labour government’s ridiculing of Malta’s name abroad, such as with the citizenship scheme.

Dr Busuttil said the PN believed in unity and spoke about national reconciliation even in the most difficult times. This was how it behaved even from the Opposition benches and only a few days ago voted for a President chosen from the government benches.

It also voted for most laws passed through Parliament except for those which were absolutely not acceptable, such as that regarding the citizenship scheme. Two laws were also proposed by the Opposition. That was what made an effective but constructive Opposition.

The Nationalist Opposition also sought consensus on the Civil Unions Act by requesting adoptions by gay couples to be debated in a different bill but the government persisted in carrying on as it wanted because it did not want unity but division.

This government even pushed aside Labourites it no longer needed after it used them, he said adding that the PN wanted the country to be administered better, because it deserved better.

“We are appealing to all those who are disappointed with the government to speak with their vote... The government’s nine votes majority in Parliament should not get to its head. This majority is not a licence for the government to do whatever it wants,” he said.

Dr Busuttil said that the PN had a big heart and this was better than money, tents or billboards. It was a living, dynamic party with fresh ideas.

Earlier, the rally was addressed by an upbeat Chris Said, the party’s general secretary.

He also stressed that what the PN wanted was a better Malta, a Malta where the rules of meritocracy and democracy ruled.

He said that the people last March people gave the PN a clear message, that they wanted it to change for the better.

“We can humbly assure you that we have taken the message. As general secretary of this glorious party, I can say that we listened to your message and in the past year worked to once again make the PN a party of the people.”

Next May’s result, he said, was an important one because the people deserved a better Malta but the government was implementing the opposite of what it promised or things that it had never mentioned before, such as the citizenship scheme and adoptions by gay couples.

Competent people were removed from their jobs and the people closest to the government were given the cushiest jobs.

Moreover, the government was humiliating the country with the decisions being taken, ruining the reputation it had gained because of the way former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi had handled the Libya issue.

Dr Said said that the PN lacked the necessary funds to match Labour’s bombastic campaign but it had its people on whom it depended to get the best possible results.

“We will depend on your donations, support and voluntary work,” he said adding that a fund raising campaign would be held on May 1.

Both Dr Busuttil and Dr Said said that this would be a very difficult election but the party aimed to elect a third MEP in the European Parliament for the first time.

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