Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant said he cannot trust the Nationalist Opposition to be honest and serious in its claims about good governance.  

The PN's election campaign has been so negative that it completely drowned out whatever good leads it could have raised regarding better governance for the country, Dr Sant said in a statement.

"Those who remained sceptical about the arguments and allegations advanced by the Opposition Leader effectively came to be lambasted as themselves criminal and corrupt; let aside those who flatly disagreed with him."

You cannot compensate for negativism by promising everything to everybody, especially if you are running a campaign that is fundamentally anchored to negative messages that must be repeated over and over again, the MEP said. In this context, “positive” proposals end up as not to be believed.

The Opposition’s campaign seems to have fallen into such a trap. On this point surely, its leader has only himself to blame, said the Maltese MEP who served as prime minister between 1996 and 1998.

I suggested initiatives by which to respond to corruption, in an effective manner, not simply by flailing and wailing

He said the proposals the PN is advancing today have been around for a long time.

Dr Sant said that over the years, together with his colleagues, he suggested initiatives by which to respond to corruption, in an effective manner, not simply by "flailing and wailing".

Labour revealed cases of administrative abuse as well as of decisions that were "really crooked" regarding huge public contracts ranging from Chambray to the projects for the Auxiliaries Scheme, San Raffaele and in its wake Mater Dei the hospital, to the drydocks, public transport and Mistra.

“Time after time, instead of launching serious investigations, successive PN governments treated the questions we raised as if they were clownish affairs. Scores of millions of euros were involved. No, I'm sorry. I cannot trust the Nationalist Opposition to be honest and serious in its claims about good governance."

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