Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said this evening that he was 'convinced' that Sai Mizzi Liang, the Energy Minster's wife, would get results for Malta following her appointment as envoy of Malta Enterprise in Asia.

Reacting to opposition questions as to whether he was concerned that, while he was in China, a government agency had engaged a minister's wife, Dr Muscat said he would have been worried had it been the Chinese government which engaged Mrs Mizzi, not Malta Enterprise.

He was convinced that Mrs Mizzi would attract investment to Malta.

Dr Muscat stressed that people chosen to serve as the government's envoys were chosen because they were the best suited, independently of who they were and what their political beliefs were.

It was for that reason that this government had appointed Joseph Zammit Tabona as global trade envoy, after he served as High Commissioner to London under the previous government. 

There was enormous potential to attract investment from Asia, and it was a disgrace that under the previous government, this potential was not tapped. Indeed, much of the focus of the Maltese embassy in Beijing had been to process visa applications from Filipinos being brought to Malta to work as nannies.

As to how much Mrs Mizzi is being paid, Dr Muscat said it was worth recalling that under the former government, Malta Enterprise had engaged a foreigner, Chris Evans, with a €750,000 contract and without a call for applications. He was meant to attract business to Malta (in the biosciences sector). This government stopped his contract because he did not bring any business to Malta.  

Neither were any calls for application issued when Richard Cachia Caruana was kept on as consultant to the prime minister despite a vote of no confidence in the House, Dr Muscat said.

Attacks were being made on Dr Mizzi's family simply because of the successes the government was achieving, in what was the worst form of politics.

Dr Muscat also hit out at the leader of the opposition for having criticised Gozo Minister Anton Refalo following an incident in Cirkewwa on Sunday.

The minister had done his duty when he made enquiries when a ferry did not pick up passengers in Cirkewwa. That was a breach of company policy. 

Did the Opposition leader want to see people stranded as if nothing had happened?