The Nationalist Party is committed to raise standards even from Opposition, leader Simon Busuttil said this evening as he accused the Labour government of stooping to the lowest levels.
Speaking in Zejtun during an activity held as part of the party's MEP election campaign, he referred to two Bills filed this week to safeguard disabled people from discrimination and to recognise access to Internet as a fundamental right while protecting people'' privacy.
On the latter he hit out against a recent legal notice authorising the Education Minister to request personal data for research purposes. "This is what a constructive Opposition is all about,, he said.
On the case involving Labour candidate Cyrus Engerer, Dr Busuttil said that it was "shameful" how the Prime Minister had allowed somebody facing court charges to run for the MEP election on the party ticket.
He added it was Mr Engerer himself who decided to withdraw his candidature and bowed out of the contest saying that he was never requested to do so by Prime Minster Joseph Muscat. He said that Dr Muscat's "champion on gay rights" was found guilty of a criminal offence against a gay person.
Dr Busuttil said that during the 25 years of Nationalist administration bar the blip between 1996 and 1998 when Labour was in government, the party had transformed the country from a third world state to a modern one.
The Prime Minister's remarks that these were 25 years of punishment was an insult to the people, especially those who had experienced political intimidation, like the Zejtun party activists.
He asked whether the PM still believed that EU membership and the euro were a punishment.
The Prime Minister was a "liar" and the real punishment was that unemployment had reached the 8,000 mark, there was political discrimination in the distribution of free medicines and uncertainty was being faced by Enemalta employees.
On the other hand, people like Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi's wife, who was on a €13,000 monthly salary, and the AFM commander, who had done "long jump" by being awarded four promotions at one, were much better off.
The labour government, he said, was a "factory of lies".