The Planning Authority’s executive chairman Johann Buttigieg lied to Parliament when he said there was no conflict of interest by the consultants who drew up the Paceville masterplan.
Speaking during a radio interview, Dr Busuttil said there was a clear conflict of interest as the consultants who drew up the plan were also the consultants for the biggest project mentioned in that same plan.
Mott MacDonald officials told Parliament on Wednesday that they had verbally informed Mr Buttigieg about the potential conflict of interest, as they had been contracted for engineering consultation on the Mercury House project.
Dr Busuttil accused Parliamentary Secretary for Planning Deborah Schembri of shying away from taking responsibility for Mr Buttigieg’s actions.
The Opposition leader insisted that if there were suspicions of irregularities then the whole process had to be stopped and restarted.
“She [Deborah Schembri] has to shoulder political responsibility for this obscenity,” Dr Busuttil said. He said the Paceville masterplan was nothing but bluff and propaganda.
Dr Busuttil said that after looking past the glossy photographs, there was some shocking material in the masterplan, including the expropriation of private land.
On the protest against overdevelopment held in Sliema yesterday, Dr Busuttil said people felt as if they were living on a permanent construction site.“The protesters in Sliema are seeking a voice, they do not want the government to steamroll over them,” Dr Busuttil said.
The Opposition leader said it was clear that those in the government’s inner-circle got what they wanted, whereas the masses, who the Prime Minister used for their vote in the last election, had now been ignored.
Dr Busuttil said Joseph Muscat had lost all moral authority when it came to corruption after he decided to retain Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri.
People were now becoming immune to all the corruption, as hearing about new scandals had become the norm, Dr Busuttil said.
On the privatisation of the Gozo, Karin Grech and St Luke’s hospitals, Dr Busuttil reminded that the contract handing over control of these hospitals was signed last November, just two days before the people negotiating them gave the go-ahead to open up bank accounts in Panama.
Dr Busuttil said the country deserved better, and pledged that the PN in government would clean up politics once and for all.
Addressing the minimum wage debate, Dr Busuttil said Dr Muscat had been talking about this for the past six years, yet had not taken any action.
Dr Busuttil said he supported a proposal by Caritas to raise the minimum wage by 10 per cent over a three-year period.