It was “scandalous” that only one Labour MEP honoured a 2009 transparency declaration to produce details about the way EU allowances were spent, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said yesterday.
He was referring to a story, published in The Sunday Times of Malta, that revealed that all but one (John Attard Montalto) of the Labour MEPs failed to produce a breakdown of their allowances and expenditure during their term in office.
In contrast, all PN MEPs filed their annual audited accounts according to the declaration signed by all MEPs in 2009 promising more transparency on how they spent EU allowances.
“This was another example of the PL’s huge hypocrisy... first they say one thing, but then they deliver another,” Dr Busuttil said during a PN party activity in Fgura held ahead of the May 24 MEP elections.
He was being interviewed by Newsbook journalist Josianne Camilleri who also asked him about a recent article published in the PN’s weekly newspaper Il-Mument. The article reported that a patient died in the corridors at Mater Dei Hospital.
“It should not be normal that patients are left in corridors, let alone that they die there,” he said adding that the PL used to criticise the situation under the PN government yet had not improved the situation.
Speaking about job creation, he said the government was saying it had created jobs. But it was not enough – the rate of unemployment was increasing. The government was playing with numbers and was not being honest with the public. In fact, he said, statistics issued yesterday showed an increase of 300 cases of unemployment in March this year compared to March 2012.
“Let’s have an honest discussion which means that the government should acknowledge that unemployment is on the increase,” he said adding that the Opposition was ready to cooperate with the government to create employment.
In fact, he said, earlier yesterday the PN came up with concrete proposals to enhance the creative economy through digital gaming.
It was proposing to build on what had been started by the PN government. Proposals included providing incentives to attract international companies established in digital gaming to set up businesses in Malta, investing in the education of young people in this sector and introducing financial assistance to help people realise their ideas in the sector.