Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said this evening that a coalition against corruption was emerging, and he agreed with those who said that the forthcoming general election would be a contest between people of good will who wanted to stop corruption, and those who did not.

Speaking at a PN event in the run-up to Independence Day, Dr Busuttil said Malta had a government that was in itself corrupt, and also closed its eyes to corruption.  

Even Transparency International had called on the prime minister to clean up his act before Malta assumed the EU presidency.

But the government was carrying on regardless, in the same way as it was carrying on with Leo Brincat's nomination to the European Court of Auditors, even though in parliament Mr Brincat had had backed Konrad Mizzi despite his involvement in the Panama Papers.

Ignoring the European Parliament's decision to reject Mr Brincat meant not only that Malta had a corrupt government, but also a government which did not respect the democratic institutions.

This further eroded Malta's reputation. 

Dr Busuttil said the Nationalist Party wanted to be an alternative government which merited the people's confidence and which focused on the people's needs, the economy and the environment and did not tolerate corruption.

The solution, therefore, was a national coalition against corruption between people who would not turn a blind eye to corruption.

Dr Busuttil said he had welcomed broadcaster Salvu Mallia yesterday and embraced his call for all to join up with the PN to meet this challenge. 

Dr Busuttil promised that he would not tolerate any PN minister who owned secret companies abroad or had conflicts of interest. Nor would he tolerate ministers who employed members of their immediate family in the public service. 

Holders of high political office would be appointed by two-thirds parliamentary majority to assure them of their independence. 

The offices of the Ombudsman and the Auditor-General would be strengthened and their decisions would be respected. The Ombudsman would also be tasked to investigate reports of corruption.  

State broadcasting would also be removed from government interference. 

Dr Busuttil said the people's respect had to be earned and the only thing he was asking for was the opportunity to persuade them that he deserved their vote.

They had already trusted him in the EU accession referendum and he had not let them down. Now he was seeking the people's confidence in order to clean up the political system.