Updated 1.14pm - Added OPM statement
The Nationalist Party will step up its opposition to the LNG tanker in Marsaxlokk in the days and weeks to come, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said today.
In an interview on the party’s radio station, Dr Busuttil said the PN would not stand by and watch a “monument to corruption” being brought in and anchored in Marsaxlokk to the detriment of nearby residents.
The Opposition leader referred to a report in Il-Mument that the company responsible for the tanker’s anchors has minister Konrad Mizzi’s uncle as a director, which he described as evidence of a government “with fingers in every single pie”.
“It’s a further insult to see the government celebrating this as an achievement,” Dr Busuttil said. “It is simply not acceptable to anchor something that carries such a danger in the middle of Marsaxlokk. Safety studies still haven’t been published and residents have a right to be worried, not only for their safety but also for the value of their properties.
“The original lie – the power station’s missed deadlines – has become the smallest issue. The PN will not stop here and will give a voice to residents.”
Speaking a few weeks ahead of the PN’s Independence Day celebrations, traditionally the start of the political season, Dr Busuttil reiterated that the festivities would see the party machinery being “switched on” and not switched off again until the next general election.
He reiterated comments made in an interview with The Sunday Times of Malta today regarding the party’s ċedoli scheme, which has now brought in some €3 million.
“The scheme is helping us clean up our party’s finances in an honest way,” he said. “It is a way to finance the party by taking a small amount from a lot of people, not a lot from a few, which frees us up from the ties that often bind political parties.”
Dr Busuttil accused Prime Minister Joseph Muscat of hypocrisy in his criticism of the scheme, attacking the PM for the “dubious” manner in which his own party had raised funds, and noting that the Labour Party had used a similar scheme in the past to finance the building of a new party centre.
“I don’t blame the PM for not being happy that the PN is getting back on its feet, but the message is clear: people are getting involved and getting behind the party again,” Dr Busuttil said.
On the scandal surrounding allegations of corruption in the granting of visas to Libyan nationals, Dr Busuttil noted recent revelations which he said widened the spotlight to every visa granted in recent years.
“This takes us to the heart of the political situation in this country,” he said, highlighting the lack of action by the police. “We are at a crisis of leadership because those in leadership have no principles whatsoever.
“As we approach an election, this is the message: everyone has flaws, but the fundamental question is whether you have principles. We are being led by a government without principles, backbone or scruples.”
'Yet another tall tale from Dr Busuttil' - Government
The Office of the Prime Minister dismissed Dr Busuttil's allegations of nepotism in the LNG Tanker deal as "another fairytale", saying the Delimara project was run by the private sector with no government intervention.
The OPM said it had asked Electrogas about the allegations, published in Il-Mument today.
"The Electrogas consortium hired a company called Vryhof to design, supply and install anchors for the Floating Storage Unit," the OPM said.
"Vryhof hired Ocean Installer to supply mooring chains. Ocen Installer hired a Chinese firm to supply some chain materials. The Chinese firm hired a shipping company to transport the material. The shipping company employed a Maltese agent."