Nationalist candidate Alex Perici Calascione this afternoon published extracts of the transcript of a speech he gave on Wednesday and also distributed recordings to show that Labour leader Joseph Muscat had quoted him out of context when he claimed that he had said that former Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami was either mad or had taken hunters for a ride.
Dr Perici Calascione said Dr Muscat had unethically cut off the following parts of the speech:
Mignun, jiena wiehed minn dawk li nghid li mhuwiex zgur. Issa, jekk tnellahx bina jew le: u risposta wahda hemm ukoll. Jigifieri biex tara il-Prim Ministru issa, (hux kap ta’ partit, nistenna) imma il-Prim Ministru tal-pajjiz li allura jitkellem mhux ghall-partit tieghu biss, qed jitkellem b’awtorita’, anqas biss ghall-kaccaturi u ghan-nassaba, qed jitkellem b’awtorita’ ghall-poplu kollu. Biex tara tnellahx bina jew le, trid tara jekk din l-ittra gietx ivvintata, jekk qalax minn zniedu dak li kiteb hemm biex jitnellah bikom halli jiehu l-vot taghkom u mbghad wara naraw, jew jekk dawk l-ittri kienux miktubin ghax verament kif qal hu kien hemm ftehim. Black jew white. Din m’hemmx triq tan-nofs. Jien dejjem hekk hsibtha.
Later in his speech, Dr Perici Calascione added:
Ghal dak li huwa il-kacca fir-rebbiegha u l-fatt li Malta kienet ghamlitha cara mal-Unjoni Ewropea illi anke wara l-2004, wara li nidhlu fl-EU kienet ser tkompli il-kacca fir-rebbiegha ghal zewg speci... zewg speci biss, il-gamiema u s-summiena, dak kien maghmul black and white. U din mhijiex, din mhijiex lanqas id-dikjarazzjoni tal-Gvern Malti. Din mhux li l-Gvern Malti qal lill-Ewropa. Din hija li l-Kummissjoni Ewropea qalet lill-pajjizi membri l-ohra kollha li kien il-ftehim. Allura dawn iz-zewg ittri ta’ Fenech Adami ma tistax taqrahom u ma tistax tifhimhom jekk mhux tara wkoll il-ftehim li kien sar. Dak li hawn hawn, hawn hawn. Kieku ma kienx hekk, kieku frankament la jien qieghed hawn illum, la jien qieghed kandidat illum u lanqas irrid ikolli ebda rispett ghal min kiteb l-ittra. Imma dawn iz-zewg ittri huma miktubin ghaliex kien hemm ftehim car.
Dr Perici Calascione yesterday filed libel action against Dr Muscat.
The PL in a statement after Dr Perici Calascione's press conference called on the PN candidate to publish the full transcript, saying he was selective in what he published.
The PN said it was shameful that the PL was asking Dr Perici Calascione to publish more of his speech when it was the one which should have done so in the first place instead of being 'shamefully selective'. It also invited the Pl to publish the speeches by Dr Muscat and the PL candidates in closed meetings with hunters.