The Prime Minister and Opposition leader sparred on television yesterday in a sterile debate that never took off and produced nothing new.
Joseph Muscat and Simon Busuttil both wore blue ties as they regurgitated most of the discourse that characterised this electoral campaign.
But they did have their little tricks in store: Dr Busuttil displayed the packaging of a €65 out-of-stock gauze, Tender Wet Plus, which a pensioner was asked to buy by the public hospital; while Dr Muscat shot back that the hospital’s medicine tendering system was run by the Opposition leader’s cousin.
I thought I came here for a debate but the Opposition leader thinks he is in a 20-question show
The debate was organised by the Broadcasting Authority and Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Arnold Cassola joined the two leaders for the second half.
In his first intervention Dr Busuttil asked the Prime Minister a succession of questions.
Dr Muscat retorted: “I thought I came here for a debate but the Opposition leader thinks he is in a 20-question show.”
From the situation of out-of-stock medicines to the unpublished contracts with Henley & Partners, the company entrusted to administer the citizenship scheme and the gas power station consortium, Dr Busuttil insisted he was asking the questions people wanted answers to.
The government lacked transparency and meritocracy, he added, saying: “The country has become more unequal.”
Dr Busuttil said it was obscene that political discrimination was being used in the distribution of free medicines.
In response, Dr Muscat read out a transcript of an interview with the pharmacist who originally made the claim of discrimination, in which she denied ever using the words “political discrimination”. (See box below)
On the Henley contract, Dr Muscat said the only people on the take were PN exponents: an MP had given the company a testimonial, another MP was the legal representative of a competing company that lost the tender and PN president Ann Fenech’s legal firm had obtained a licence to act as an agent for Henley.
Dr Muscat used the debate to highlight the government’s achievements, listing the various measures that put more money in people’s pockets and lauding economic performance.
“We are not perfect, we have made mistakes but we have delivered on our pledges and we have the energy to move forward,” he said, acknowledging that the health sector faced particular problems.
Prof. Cassola attempted a balancing act when he portioned out criticism in equal doses to both sides as he insisted that AD was the only party that truly represented European values.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com