A new Nationalist government would remove criminal libel once and for all, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said this morning.
Closing the party’s general council in Gozo "Sustainable Growth and Dignity for All", he said that the party was to come up with a proposal and a number of measures for good governance before the end of the year.
The removal of criminal libel would be one of the proposals.
Dr Busuttil said that the difference between the Nationalist and the Labour parties was slowly coming out. The people were seeing the difference and it would not be long before they would turn to the Prime Minister and say:
“Mr Salesman, you sold us a fake product and we want a refund… We want to place our confidence in an alternative government that listens that is built on truth and honesty.”
Dr Busuttil said this moment would soon come and at the time of judgement, the people would chose the Nationalist Party.
He went through what he said were instances of corruption, including the renewal of an encroachment permit for the Siggiewi Labour Party club, which had been due to be passed on to the local council, and the number of people and their family members within the party who were being greedy.
He said that the moment one got placed in a public position and paid through the people’s taxes, one’s situation was no longer personal but became public.
Dr Busuttil highlighted party deputy leader Toni Abela as a symbol of greediness, saying he had been made consultant on oil exploration, traffic and poverty, all of which were matters he was not an expert in.
Dr Abela, Dr Busuttil said, had left the Labour Party because of corruption 25 years ago and he was now getting his share.
This showed that the time had really come to lose confidence in the Labour Party.
Dr Busuttil also went into the 6,781 Schengen visas given to Algerians by the Maltese consulate saying many Algerians were using these visas to head on to France.
He asked why were the foreign minister and the Prime Minister not interested in this and asked what would the minister tell the French ambassador when she asked him about it?
The government, Dr Busuttil said, was ruining the country’s reputation, something the Nationalist Party had worked so hard for.
The Opposition leader also came out against high-rise buildings at the Mrieħel Industrial Estate, which he said would compromise the view of Mdina.
The zone was one of six identified last year after a public consultation exercise where tall buildings could rise. The Gasan Group that has a showroom and offices in the area wants to build two tower blocks.
Dr Busuttil accused the Prime Minister of wanting to steal the picturesque skyline by allowing towers to be built at Mrieħel.
He said the PN would be holding its second general assembly – for all paid members – next month with a focus on the environment. “The country needs to have a guardian of the environment,” he said.