The Labour government may win a vote of confidence tomorrow but in the eyes of the people it would still have lost, Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil said this morning.
Addressing a sizeable crowd of people at Ghar id-Dud in Sliema, Dr Busuttil hoped for a strong and clear debate during the marathon Parliamentary sitting, which would come to an end with a vote at 10pm.
Parliament is tomorrow debating the Opposition's no confidence motion in the government filed in the wake of the Panama scandal.
According to the Panama Papers, Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi and the PM's chief of staff Keith Schembri last August twice tried to open bank accounts in Dubai and Panama to be able to populate trading companies in Panama.
Dr Busuttil said that although everyone would be able to express their thoughts, anger and indignation, they would be doing this in a civil manner, attacking the government as was the MPs' right and duty.
Opposition MPs, he said, would surely not be using any axes or swords - a clear dig at the speech made by Economy Minister Chris Cardona last Sunday during the Labour Party’s general conference. Dr Cardona warned Nationalists to be careful because “if you hit us with a sword we will hit you back with an axe”.
The people should also not expect systematic attacks from all those who had the courage to come out against the government.
Dr Busuttil noted that although it had already been made known that Labour MPs would be voting against the motion, he appealed to them to consider the national interest.
He said that the Opposition’s motion was against the government and not Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi because this was a normal democratic country.
Dr Mizzi and the Prime Minister’s chief of staff Keith Schembri, who was also involved in the Panama scandal, were the two people closest to the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister should have taken action eight weeks ago.
When one is a minister, brokerage is corruption… There is no other word for it
But he opted not to do anything creating major uncertainty. This made him the problem so he had to go.
“This is an unprecedented situation... I want to live in a normal democratic country and that is why the motion is against the government. Even if Dr Muscat had to remove them [Dr Mizzi and Mr Schembri] now, confidence in him has been lost… so he has to go,” Dr Busuttil said.
He gave an overview of what the Panama Papers have revealed so far about the two men’s companies in New Zealand and their attempts to open bank accounts for brokerage in at least Dubai and Panama.
“When one is a minister, brokerage is corruption… There is no other word for it,” Dr Busuttil said.
“The people are seeing the truth. Everyone is seeing it. The Prime Minister resigned in Iceland and the Industry Minister resigned in Spain. Shouldn’t Malta be the best in Europe? So why have resignations not taken place here,” Dr Busuttil asked.
He said that even though some believed the motion would have had a greater chance of being approved if it was solely against Dr Mizzi, he was here to do what was in the national interest and this was for someone to stand up in Parliament and say what was not right. This was what the Opposition would be doing.