Opposition leader Simon Busuttil has expressed concern at the Labour Party’s choice for Deputy Leader after Economy Minister Chris Cardona was yesterday elected to the post.
“The fact that Labour Party had to change its Deputy Leader after just three months because he was embroiled in the biggest scandal is already huge and having Dr Cardona as a replacement is even worse.
“We have gone from the frying pan and into the fire,” Dr Busuttil said, adding that the Minister embodied the government’s aggressiveness, describing him as “anti-thesis of good governance,” Dr Busuttil said in a Radio 101 interview.
“Now we have a deputy leader who is involved in a company with his own (Dr Cardona's) Chief of Staff. This is the situation Joseph Muscat has brought us in.”
In his interview Dr Busuttil said the Nationalist Party was fully committed to stopping the government from taking over the public institutions.
He said that the Opposition’s proposal to have major projects in Outside Development Land subject to approval by a two-thirds majority in Parliament was crucial to not having the Prime Minister Joseph Muscat take all the decisions himself. (See also http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160612/opinion/PN-s-radical-proposal-to-safeguard-ODZ.615086 )
“The proposal is a reaction to the reality we are living in where we have a Prime Minister who said he met with an investor behind closed doors, passing on to him land that is ODZ,” Dr Busuttil said.
The “radical” proposal, he said, would shift the onus on to Parliament, giving ODZ land the protection it so urgently needed.
“We are in a situation where institutions are being taken over by the government. Such is the case with Planning Authority and that is why decisions on ODZ land need to be taken by Parliament.
“In this way the government would be giving up some of its power and attempt to reach a compromise with the Opposition. In this way, power is not solely in the hands of those clearly abusing it,” the Opposition leader said.
Reacting to the fact that the proposal had been dismissed by the Prime Minister, Dr Busuttil said Dr Muscat was the only one opposing the suggestions, which have been welcomed by a number of environmental organisations.
While the Labour Party had shot down the proposal, six environmental NGOs had come out in favour of the suggestion, labelling it “a step in the right direction”.
Dr Busuttil said the proposal’s details have not yet been finalised and the Nationalist Party was open to suggestions from the public on how to best implement such a strategy.
On Air Malta, the Opposition leader said he had a fruitful meeting with unions representing the airline’s workers, Dr Busuttil said the meeting was “interesting but intense”.
He said it was clear that employees were concerned about the future and this was rightly so and once again expressed disappointment at comments by Alitalia chairman’s comments who said that their planned 49 per cent stake acquisition in Air Malta would cost nothing - “sotto zero”.