Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/480415
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 18 MARCH 2015 5 MIRIAM DALLI FOR once, the leaders of Malta's ma- jor political parties confessed being wrong on their political stands. Assuming both were not influ- enced by the political observers, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat ad- mitted that threatening a pushback of irregular migrants was a mistake while Opposition leader Simon Bu- suttil said the PN would not abstain if it were to vote again over the civil unions legislation. The pair were guests of TimesTalk hosts Herman Grech and Mark Mi- callef, marking the two-year anni- versary of Labour in government. In what was supposed to be a 'yes' or 'no' Q&A, the leaders found it hard to stick to just one word. Muscat refused to rule out former home affairs minister Manuel Mal- lia from any future Cabinet posts, saying that "he considered every- one". Busuttil would not say whether he would retain or remove the legisla- tion regulating the sale of Maltese citizenship: "At the beginning I was completely against it but it depends on how the situation would be then. I am not in favour of the scheme but I can't tell you how the scheme would turn around in three years' time … I don't think it's fair." Busuttil said he "doesn't exclude anything" when asked whether the PN would be ready to join Altern- attiva Demokratika in a coalition government while he said his resig- nation from the PN if the party loses the election would be based on the result. Likewise, when asked if he would resign if the power station is not completed by June 2016, Muscat said he would resign if the price of utility bills doesn't go down. Meritocracy: 'a great betrayal' Muscat defended his government against criticism of having failed to honour its meritocracy pledge. Columnist Martin Scicluna went as far as describing meritocracy "a great betrayal" by the Labour gov- ernment, while sociologist Michael Briguglio said 'Malta for all' had meant "promising everything to everyone". "I can take criticism but I can also start listing the names I am con- stantly criticised for retaining while appointing people known to be PN- leaning," Muscat said. TimesTalk referred to a letter pub- lished by MaltaToday on Sunday, re- vealing how a senior civil servant in Gozo was asked to retire on reach- ing retirement age in 2005, by then Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi af- ter reporting serious interference by former Minister Giovanna Debono's private secretariat in the workings of the civil service. "Any wrongdoings which occurred in the past must be investigated… but Joseph Muscat should investi- gate them immediately rather than wait for electoral campaigns," Bu- suttil said. Insisting that he had set his own standards within the PN, and would take action against anyone in the wrong, Busuttil said he was "sur- prised" to see Muscat sitting next to him. "It was Muscat himself who pledged to resign if the power plant was not built in time. So how come he is still here?" Busuttil asked, at- tracting an exasperated sigh from Muscat. He said that the 'Malta Taghna Lkoll' pledge and meritocracy had become a joke. Once again, Muscat defended the €4.2 million Café Premier bailout saying that he averted the opening of a fast food outlet underneath the National Library. The PN leader however insisted that it was the National Audit Office that revealed how Muscat ordered the payment to Cities Entertain- ment. "The Café Premier report raises several eyebrows; it reveals how the government operates," he said, re- ferring to the PM's personal inter- vention. "A few weeks later we had a second report by the Auditor Gener- al revealing Konrad Mizzi's personal intervention in a hedging deal." He pointed out that both Mizzi and Muscat had travelled to Az- erbaijan without inviting the media: "No one knew that they were going to Azerbaijan. He [Muscat] went to Azerbaijan… When you have the Auditor General criticising a deal in the dark, costing the country €14 million in losses, one has to ques- tion whether this was the reason why consumers were paying such high fuel prices." Economy: 'a success story' As Martin Scicluna described the government's economic plan "a success story", Muscat admitted the government had not inherited a "disastrous" situation. "However, we have changed our economy from average to one of the best in Europe. These are the targets we are going for," he said. Busuttil however appeared less enthusiastic over Malta's economic performance when asked by host Mark Micallef whether he was going to "change targets to milestones" over statements that Malta would be seeking a bailout. "Joseph Muscat is the expert on bailouts. I said Malta would request a bailout if the Labour government were to honour its pledges… In fact it didn't because we don't yet have a new power station," he said. Busuttil insisted that the Labour government inherited a solid econo- my, even though the PN administra- tion had operated during difficult economic times. Environment: 'an absolute disastrous state' Both Martin Scicluna and Michael Briguglio had no qualms in dubbing the environment as the govern- ment's worst failure. "It is an abso- lute disastrous area: Labour prom- ised to strike a balance between environment and development and instead went totally for develop- ment," Scicluna said. Briguglio said the government was appeasing developers at the expense of the environment. On his part, Muscat said he took the criticism "seriously", but la- mented that the closing down of the polluting Marsa power station was not considered as an environmental contribution. "We never receive credit for this one crucial point," Muscat said. Admitting that MEPA had its own problems under a PN administra- tion, Busuttil said it had now lost all autonomy. Busuttil reiterated that the Café Premier scandal took place because the Lands Department now fell under the Office of the Prime Minister. "One has to ask what interest Joseph Muscat had in taking over the Lands Department out of so many portfolios. What intrigued the PM to take over MEPA and Lands?" Busuttil said the Opposition had yet to see what the government was planning to do with the MEPA de- merger. According to Muscat, "high-rises reduced the pressure" on a small is- land like Malta with limited space. In Bugibba alone, he said, there were 8,000 enforcement notices. Energy: 'mixed bag' There were mixed reactions to the government's energy plan: while the lower utility tariffs and Enemalta's turnaround was welcomed, ques- tions were raised on the rate at which Enemalta will buy electricity generation from ElectroGas and the Chinese agreement. The energy discussion also prompted the PN leader to accuse Muscat of having been "bribed", while the latter was speaking about the investment made by Chinese company Shanghai Electric Power. Muscat was commenting that it was the PN which needed a bail- out, when Busuttil commented that "well, that's because we don't get bribed". Stopping halfway through his statement, Muscat turned to Busut- til asking the PN leader to clarify his comment. "Of course," Busuttil replied as he qualified his statement. "When you have the NAO report saying that you pay €4.2 million to the Café Premier [operators]… these are the suspi- cions raised by such shortcomings." By then, Muscat was on the attack, refusing to turn to Busuttil. "I pity the PN for having been saddled with this kind of leader. Keep digging your own hole." Social reforms: Labour should be doing more for underprivileged New rights and social reforms in certain sectors were welcomed by Martin Scicluna and Michael Briguglion, but both commented that – as a Labour government – it should be doing more to help the poor, the underprivileged and in- crease wages. Muscat reiterated that wealth must be first created for distribution to take place. He said the government was changing the culture of social benefits by encouraging people to work and incentivise them by not cutting their benefits. Following the low rating given by Scicluna and Briguglio, Busuttil said the government had failed its "pass mark" just after two years in gov- ernment. "These are two independent per- sons who gave the government a fail … an epic fail," the PN leader said. News For once, leaders admit they were wrong on their political stands www.maltatoday.com.mt MANAGER Mediatoday is seeking the services of a full time highly motivated manager with multi-tasking and organisational skills. Having experience of identifying the needs of customers and of running a media and publishing business. Possessing a significant record of achievement in human resources management and able to quickly understand the mission, vision and values of an organisation. WORK EXPERIENCE Working in a fast-paced team oriented environment. Managing a client portfolio and having revenue and account management responsibility for key accounts. DUTIES Working closely with the Director. 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Supports budget and forecasting activities, Credit control, Issuing of invoices, Payments, Inventory, Handle personnel issues, absenteeism, performance issues, etc. REF: ACCOUNTANTMT032015 Closing date: 25/03/2015 Write in confidence to the The Managing Director, MediaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN07 Or email application to: bcfreddi@mediatoday.com.mt VACANCIES Political rivals: Prime Minister Muscat and Opposition leader Busuttil