The Café Premier bailout showed the government does not discriminate politically in its decisions, given that the restaurant’s director donated money to the Nationalist Party, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said yesterday.
“Money was given to the PN, not to us. This shows that we don’t look at faces. We make decisions because they need to be taken,” he said, referring to a €1,000 donation café director Mario Camilleri had made to the PN.
Dr Muscat was speaking during a political activity in Mosta marking the launch of the party’s local council election campaign.
Briefly referring to the €4.2 million Café Premier deal, Dr Muscat reiterated previous statements that his government would not shy away from admitting mistakes.
The government has come under fire for paying millions to take back a 65-year lease agreement on the café, which was haemorrhaging funds.
Dr Muscat also spoke about the Swiss Leaks saga and questioned how the previous government had not sought more information from the French authorities once the list had been published in 2010.
He said that when the issue resurfaced recently, he contacted French President Francois Hollande asking for access to the list.
“The French authorities said this was the first time Malta had ever asked for information. Why was no action taken before? Why wasn’t the list requested earlier? Why was this not addressed?”
Dr Muscat said the government would take the necessary legal action against anyone featured on that list, irrespective of who they were or their political allegiances.
“We will be following the law and everyone will be given a fair hearing. But responsibility has to be shouldered,” he said.
We are achieving results that no other government ever dreamt of
Turning to his government’s achievements over its first two years, Dr Muscat said the road map the party had before the 2013 general election was bearing fruit and achieving results. He mentioned, as examples, reductions in utility bills, cheaper fuel prices, lower income tax bands, an increase in stipends for students and legislation countering political corruption.
The reduction in utility bills meant an injection of €70 million a year into the economy and it was no wonder that the economy was one of the fastest growing in the EU, he said. Dr Muscat said his was not a government that planned budgets from one year to the other but had a long-term plan it wanted to implement.
“We are achieving results that no other government ever dreamt of.
“We created as many jobs in 20 months as the previous administration did in an entire legislature.”
In addition to this, Malta has among the lowest unemployment rates across the EU. The €2 million Youth Guarantee scheme has created jobs for almost 2,000 youths and is expected to reach 3,000 by the end of the year, he added.
The government will continue its “silent revolution” in its bid to see Malta as “the most progressive State”, Dr Muscat said, referring to the amendment in the law that enables 16-year-olds to vote for the first time in the forthcoming council elections.
Refunds of VAT paid on vehicle registrations in 2004 has begun and a process has started to open homes for people with disability, easing the worries of their parents.
The government has also introduced free childcare, enabling many women to start working.