(Adds Government, PL's reactions)

PN leader Simon Busuttil this afternoon questioned whether the Government was planning to privatise Air Malta.

Addressing a party policy seminar on tourism, the first in a series of policy seminar the party is holding on a number of subjects, Dr Busuttil noted that nothing was being said about the ongoing restructuring programme.

“At what stage is the restructuring programme? What guarantee do we have that it will be completed successfully? What are government’s intentions? Is it preparing to privatise the airline?”

He noted that in the case of Enemalta, Labour had said it would not privatise the corporation in its electoral manifesto but facts were now showing otherwise.

Dr Busuttil said that in the case of Air Malta, the EU had only allowed a one-time last-time subsidy which meant that if the restructuring exercise was not successful the only option would be privatisation. This would mean that the exercise would have been a waste of taxpayer’s money.

The PN leader said that the previous Government had been very proud of the results obtained in tourism and questioned what this Government was doing in this sector.

“It is time for the government to start walking the talk... to start governing... In the field of tourism we have not seen any new ideas,” he said.

He asked what had happened to projects such as those at forts St Elmo and St Angelo. And what about roadworks, he asked, noting that nothing was being heard about investment in roads when under the PN the people used to grumble that there was too much going on.

It would be an enormous mistake to stop investing in infrastructure, which was part of Malta’s product, he said.

Dr Busuttil said that maybe one of the flaws of the previous Government was that it did not boast enough of its successes and it had ambition and always wanted more.

He said that rather than looking at Malta’s competitive advantage, the country had to start looking at the comparitive advantage and focus on traits that were unique to Malta, such as culture, which could not be replicated by other countries.

GOVERNMENT ALLOWING PEOPLE APPOINTED BY PREDECESSOR TO CARRY OUT MANDATE

The Tourism Ministry said it would be better for the Nationalist Party to say what its plan for Air Malta was when it was in Government.

The present Government was currently allowing people paid by the previous Government to carry out the mandate they were given, which according to the PN had to save Air Malta.

This would ensure that responsibility was shouldered without the need of any interference by the Government as long as they did their job.

PL REACTS

In a reply, the Labour Party said that in one of his first speeches as Opposition leader Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had said that the Opposition wanted to cooperate with the Government to save Air Malta.

But new PN leader was now trying to hinder the restructuring process.

The PL said that Dr Busuttil and the PN were being negative on everything and they were more intent on damaging the country than seeing it progress.

The party, it said, had not change since its defeat in Malta.

The PL said that this Government had achieved an absolute tourism record in summer but this did not count for Dr Busuttil, it said.

It noted that during a seminar on tourism, not one policy idea came out.