The country needs a strong, united Opposition, with whom the government can bounce off ideas, Joseph Muscat said on Sunday.
The problem at the moment was that one did not know where the Opposition stood on particular issues, so a discussion could not be held, the Prime Minister said during an interview on One Radio.
“Having no one with whom to bounce off ideas is a filibuster. I recall that former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi would sometimes ask for me, as leader of the Opposition, to ask our opinion about some law.
“At the moment we cannot do this, because part of the Opposition has not yet accepted the delegates’ choice of the party’s leader.”
We need a united opposition for the good of the country, he insisted.
Following the publication of the Egrant inquiry’s conclusions, Simon Busuttil’s only option was to resign, Dr Muscat said, adding that the former PN leader had never said he would shoulder the responsibility.
Read: Is Delia's request to Busuttil to suspend himself hasty or inevitable?
“This was no victory for us, as we didn’t win anything. We were dragged through martyrdom. There is relief, but no celebration. On the other hand, it is a big defeat for whoever lied,” Dr Muscat added.
The Prime Minister recalled how the issue emotionally impacted his family over the past months, with his children asking, among others, whether they would be able to visit their parents in prison.
The ordeal was a scar that would heal, but would leave a mark, Dr Muscat said, adding that the family was not bitter.
Earlier, he insisted that he was not after any revenge, but wanted justice to take its course.
Some people were angry, but if there was anyone who should be angry, it was him and his wife Michelle.
“But for justice to take its course, we need to leave it in the hands of institutions, including the police, the courts and the Attorney General… our job is to let these institutions carry out their work in serenity.”
'I have decided to publish. Issue is when and how'
Dr Muscat, who said he was not yet ready to read the full inquiry without feeling angry, reiterated that he would be going against AG Peter Grech’s advice to stick to publishing the conclusions only.
This was unprecedented because he had always followed the AG’s advice. Dr Grech was against the publication of the inquiry because then names of third parties who had nothing to do with the issue surfaced during the investigation, while publication of the full inquiry could also shackle ongoing investigations.
But Dr Muscat believed that it was in the national interest to publish the inquiry, because of the attempt at destabilising the country.
“I have decided to publish, the issue is how and when,” he said.
Meanwhile he insisted that Dr Busuttil was part of a coordinated attack and was privy to information about the Egrant allegations before they were published.
The coordinated efforts included following people with cameras on the day that the alleged revelations were made.
He recalled that calling for an early election was the best option.
“During the week ahead of the announcement of the election, the country’s economy slowed down… That was a decision that saved the economy from an economical disaster that Dr Busuttil wanted to get us in.”
The publication of the Egrant inquiry conclusions was followed by an “overwhelming” reaction from foreign heads of state and ministers, who were all shocked about the fabrication and falsification of documents, he said.