The Opposition will continue to insist that foreigners should not make money from the people’s assets, and the state’s hospitals and the Żonqor site should therefore be handed back because those projects had failed, Opposition leader Adrian Delia said on Sunday.
In a Radio 101 interview, Dr Delia focused on the state of the police, the Vitals hospitals deal and the American University of Malta, saying that all three showed how Malta was not functioning as a normal democracy and the culture of xejn mhu xejn was continuing to grow.
Referring to the case of alleged domestic violence involving an assistant police commissioner, and the case where three officers were found in possession of drugs, Dr Delia said it was no coincidence that some people felt they were above the law, to the extent of going to Paceville with drugs, and committing a crime they had a duty to prevent.
All this was happening because no one, from the commissioner down, was being held to account, and because even people with a criminal record were being allowed to join the police force.
In which normal democracy were standards lowered instead of raised?
Normal countries sought to raise police recruitment standards, not lower them. But in Malta, the culture of xejn mhu xejn was continuing to extend its roots.
In what other country did a minister try to justify a case of alleged domestic abuse by a senior police officer?
The country’s state was such that criminals were feeling comfortable. Despite what had happened (in the Daphne Caruana Galizia case) somebody had still tried to place another car bomb (last week).
VITALS ACTED LIKE MIDDLEMEN
Turning to how Vitals had sold its hospitals concession to Steward healthcare, Dr Deia explained that the Opposition’s stand stemmed from the fact that the government’s original contract with Vitals was never fully published, showing that it had something to hide.
Vitals had allegedly been selected by the government because they were best placed to manage the hospitals in Malta. So how had they sold their concession after just two years?
“This exercise stank from Day One because the hospitals were not handed to people with experience in the sector, but middlemen who acted so that somebody else would ultimately make money.
“This again shows that we are not living in a normal country. The Opposition will not stop here. We will work to ensure that what belongs to the people is handed back.
If anyone thinks he can make millions from the people’e assets and get away with it, he is seriously mistaken
“If anyone thinks he can make millions from the people’e assets and get away with it, he is seriously mistaken.
“We cannot play about with the people’s health and with what belongs to the people,” Dr Delia insisted.
“We will seek the return of what belongs to the people and give the people a health service they deserve.”
Dr Delia said the case of the American University of Malta was another example how the people’s assets had been handed to investors who were not experienced in a particular sector but wanted to make money from property speculation.
“If you think you can continue to deceive the people, you are mistaken. The Opposition will not yield. This is not just an environmental issue because it involves the Żonqor ODZ, but it is also an issue of foreigners making money from the people.
“They can call us negative as much as they like but on these three issues we will tell the people exactly what the situation is, good and bad,” Dr Delia stressed.
Indeed, that was the role of the opposition. It would support what was good, and hit out at what was bad. The ones who were negative were the government, who despite erring on the hospital contract and the ‘American university’ wanted to press on without admitting their mistakes, Dr Delia said.