The Labour Party this morning again challenged Opposition leader Simon Busuttil to repeat outside Parliament his claims about Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi made under parliamentary privilege. The party urged him to mention one case of illegality.

In a statement, it also called on him to mention the tools that the Labour government introduced to fight corruption, an initiative the Nationalist government he formed part of had shelved for 25 years when real scandals - such as that regarding commissions on the purchase of oil - were going on.

The PL noted that while the Opposition leader had called a partisan mass meeting for this Sunday intended only to create division, had it been for him, he would have allowed corruption to continue in his first test on governance.

In the case of the work-for-votes, in which former Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono’s husband allegedly gave the go-ahead for works in the private sector with public money with his wife’s blessing, Dr Busuttil had met the whistleblower and allegedly asked him why he had continued with the works when he knew the PN was going to lose the election.

He did this, the PL said, instead of going to the authorities to report what was going on. He also failed to do anything to stop corruption, it said.

PL IN STATE OF PANIC AND COMPLETELY CUT OFF FROM REALITY

The reaction was one of a party that was in a state of panic and completely cut off from reality.

As the Opposition leader said yesterday, the PN said, if there was anything worse than such a scandal it was to blatantly pretend nothing wrong had been done.

The people, the PN said,  were angry and disgusted with Dr Mizzi and Keith Schembri, the PM's chief of staff, but they were angrier and more disgusted at the Prime Minister’s reaction to continue as if nothing was happening.

The party again invited all those of good will and who wanted to fight corruption and work towards clean politics to attend its national protest on Sunday.