Opposition leader Simon Busuttil this evening challenged the prime minister to a televised debate on corruption as he called for Michael Falzon’s resignation from Parliament.
Addressing a press conference outside the House, Dr Busuttil said Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had dodged several invitations for a debate.
Asked whether he felt comfortable repeating claims of government corruption he made in the House in recent weeks, Dr Busuttil said he had no problem taking Dr Muscat head-on and repeating any statements in that context.
Dr Busuttil also questioned why Dr Muscat had not reacted to reports that an employee in the parliamentary secretariat of former parliamentary secretary Michael Falzon had put pressure on a top government official during an investigation into the Gaffarena scandal.
“It is unacceptable that the Prime Minister has still said not said anything about something so serious,” he said.
Dr Busuttil’s press conference was held to mark three years of Labour administration, which he labelled as “three years of corruption”.
He gave a sizable list of “scandals”, the most recent being the revelation that Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi and Dr Muscat’s chief of staff Keith Schembri had both set up shell companies in Panama.
Speaking at a national protest against corruption last Sunday, Dr Busuttil called on authorities, including the police, to investigate all contracts handled by the two.
This evening, Dr Busuttil said that if the police did not investigate, they would be serving the government and not the people.
BUSUTTIL IS ONE WITH THE PAST THE PEOPLE DO NOT WANT - PL
In a statement, the Labour Party said that Dr Busuttiil did not say anything positive and continued in his policy to be against everything no matter what, even attacking the childcare measure which was beneficial to so many families.
Dr Busuttil would do well to repeat outside Parliament the deceitful and slanderous talk he had said in Parliament under Parliamentary privilege.
His strategy and that of his surrounding circle was known, it was the aggressive politics of yesteryear. He was one with the past which the people did not want and was drowning in negativity.