Corruption in Malta was becoming institutionalised with a large number of irregularities taking place, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said yesterday.

Speaking during a recorded interview on Radio Malta’s programme Għandi x’Ngħid, Dr Busuttil said such irregularities included Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi’s wife being paid €13,000 a month and being selected for her job only because she was the minister’s wife.

Dr Busuttil said that two years after Labour’s electoral victory the slogan ‘Malta Tagħna Lkoll’ (Malta for all) had been replaced by ‘Malta Tagħhom Biss’ (Malta is only their’s). The PN leader said the Opposition would not be intimidated by the government and had a responsibility to uncover scandals and institutionalised corruption for the sake of transparency and clean politics.

Speaking on the Mark Gaffarena scandal, revealed by Times of Malta, Dr Busuttil said these things reminded people of the 1980s when such obscenities took place.

Another issue that was taking the country back to the 1980s, Dr Busuttil said, was the proposed development at Żonqor. The land was chosen in secretive manner and part of it belongs to the private sector. This meant that someone from the private sector was going to get rich at the expense of taxpayers. The Labour government was making people multi-millionaires simply because it was obliged to them, he said.

Dr Busuttil also spoke about the tension that existed in Parliament as a result of the behaviour of government MPs.

He said the way they attacked the Opposition whenever questions were asked or the way they used inappropriate language was scandalous.

Asked what would be his first task as Prime Minister, Dr Busuttil said he would change the Code of Ethics to improve ministers’ standards and behaviour.

Rather than improving standards, the Prime Minister had lowered them with the changes made to ministers’ Code of Ethics.