The government is taking the law in its own hands in a scandalous manner, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said this morning as he cited a story in today’s Times of Malta about the government using illegal billboards in its campaigns.

These, he said, were the same billboards that had served the Labour Party in its electoral campaign but no one should be above the law, not even the government, the Labour Party or the Prime Minister.

Closing a party council, Dr Busuttil said the Prime Minister wanted to insult the people’s intelligence by saying his party was the underdog. This was after it had won an election with 36,000 votes.

“If he is the underdog what are we?.. We respect the people’s intelligence. This election is not about me or Joseph Muscat, it is an election to elect people to represent us in the European Parliament, which is also our Parliamaent,” he said.

Dr Busuttil said this was a very tough election for the Nationalist Party and its aim was to obtain a third seat.

“We are leading a campaign with the message that the Nationalist Party means a better Malta... It is the party that always worked for a better Malta and always had big ambitions for the country... It wants to continue to work for a better Malta even from the Opposition.”

Dr Busuttil said that the Nationalist Party’s policy was built on honesty, what was right and humility, it was there to serve the people and not to use them, it was there for everyone and not just for those in its core. It had to once again become a party of the people.

He welcomed the public private partnership deal about MRI scans reached yesterday between the government and private hospital and this was what used to be done under the previous Nationalist administration in this and in other sectors.

This system had had been stopped by this administration.

“Why had the government dismantled what the previous government had done? Was it because the roadmap now told him that the right policy was that which the previous government used to follow?”

He also referred to the increase in unemployment which the government was trying to cover up by was employing people within its core in the civil service. As a result, the government’s expense on wages in the first three months of this year had increased by €22 million because.

Dr Busuttil expressed solidarity with Enemalta workers and said that the Nationalist Party will be their shield. Enemalta was being privatised even though the government was calling this strategic partnership.

As ‘out of stock medicines’ had become ‘medicines pending order’, ‘privatisation’ had become ‘strategic partnership’.

On Eurostat statistics issued on Wednesday which showed that the government had reduced the deficit to €2.2 million but increased the debt by €373 million, he said that the Opposition was still waiting for an explanation on the discrepancy. He hoped this debt did not go to pay debts entered into for the nationalisation of Arriva, a private company.

Dr Busuttil said that the Nationalist Party was a party that never gave up, that was ready to overcome all challenges with the help of the people.

Deputy leader Mario de Marco, who spoke earlier, said the Nationalist Party was willing to continue working for the good of the people in the interest of all Maltese and Gozitans. He called on the people to trust their vote to the party which was ready to work for all, those who always worked in favour of the European Union, those who wanted a better future for the country.

“Vote for a better Malta,” he said.

General secretary Chris Said said the people gave the party the courage to face this electoral campaign in spite of not having financial resources.

The council was also addressed by MEPs and MEP candidates.

The PN also approved its electoral manifesto for the EP elections. It can be read in the pdf link below.