[attach id=260347 size="medium"]Joseph Muscat plans to review salaries for politicians. Photo: Jason Borg[/attach]
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat plans to review salaries for politicians in the next legislature and discussions are already under way to create a “transparent mechanism” by which this can be done.
Interviewed by The Sunday Times of Malta, Dr Muscat maintained that he would not increase salaries during this legislature as promised in Labour’s electoral manifesto.
However, he said the Ombudsman, Chief Electoral Commissioner and Auditor General were already working on a mechanism that would be introduced “in the next legislature”.
Dr Muscat said salaries would not be increased yet because the entire political class was still paying for the “gargantuan mistake” committed by the PN Government when the Cabinet granted themselves a raise of €500 a week.
Asked about the case of Parliamentary Secretary Franco Mercieca who breached the limited waiver he was given to continue practising eye surgery, Dr Muscat dismissed his actions as an “issue of interpretation”.
He also thanked The Sunday Times of Malta for clearing up the matter through its investigation into the matter.
Dr Muscat acknowledged that the Government showed insensitivity over how it granted an amnesty of 100 days to prisoners but said he shouldered responsibility for this.
“I think it got out of hand, not by the minister but the people who were emotional,” he said.
Dr Muscat also said he regretted a comment he made at the start of the legislature in Parliament when he said he had already created a job through the vacancy of Opposition Leader.
“It was in bad taste... I want to apologise to Lawrence Gonzi because I think I was insensitive when I made that comment. I admit my mistakes.”
However, Dr Muscat said he did not feel the same way about the Speech from the Throne written for President George Abela, which had been criticised as being divisive and littered with electoral slogans.
The Prime Minister was equally defensive of the controversial appointments made in the legislature so far, including that of former Labour general secretary Jason Micallef and former PN dissenter Franco Debono.
Asked how he would have felt if Dom Mintoff was appointed to a similar position as that of Dr Debono in 1998, Dr Muscat responded by bringing up the appointment of Dr Abela as President following his “history” with former Labour leader Alfred Sant.
cperegin@timesofmalta.com