Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/818637
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 3 MAY 2017 News 6 TIM DIACONO A group of Maltese expats have written to the Prime Minister, urging him to allow them to vote in an embassy of their choice in the upcoming election. A Facebook page has also been set up. In an open letter, the expats noted that Labour had pledged in its 2013 manifesto to allow expats to vote in their country of residence without having to travel to Malta. The PN and Alternattiva Demokratika had come up with similar promises. "Four years down the line, there is nothing to show for that rare moment of cross-party unity," the letter reads. "With a snap general election now bare- ly a month away, we urge you to safeguard our right to vote on 3 June, ensuring the most appro- priate use of taxpayer money in the process." They noted that the govern- ment spent €1.1 million f lying 1,346 Maltese people to the is- land to cast their vote in the 2015 spring hunting referen- dum, on top of the €70 paid by each voter. "The misdirected generosity of successive governments on this particular issue has done our entire country a disservice, distracting resources away from what the Maltese community abroad really needs: a cost-ef- fective and convenient way for us to vote abroad." AD chairperson Arnold Cas- sola was quick to back their call, saying in a Facebook post that "what is normal in the rest of the world should become nor- mality in Malta". Busuttil: Muscat will have to go if Keith Schembri allegations prove true YANNICK PACE PN leader Simon Busuttil has in- sisted that if the Egrant magisterial inquiry finds wrongdoing by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat or Keith Schembri, his chief of staff, Muscat will have no choice but to resign. "What will happen if Muscat wins the election and the inquiry then finds proof of wrongdoing by Joseph Muscat or Keith Schembri, in which case Joseph Muscat would have to resign," he asked, stressing that the Prime Minister and his chief of staff were close enough to be considered one. Busuttil yesterday said that while it is uncertain what the inquiry will find regarding allegations that Michelle Muscat, the Prime Minis- ter's wife, owns a share in the Pana- manian company Egrant Inc, it will definitely find wrongdoing on the part of Schembri since he himself had passed on tangible evidence to the inquiring magistrate. The PN leader was addressing a press conference at the party head- quarters where he said that people had woken up in the morning ask- ing why an election was going to be held so soon. "Why didn't Joseph Muscat at least wait for the end of the criminal inquiry on him and Keith Schem- bri. Why didn't he at least wait till October for him to be able to put forward another budget," he said. "Why has Muscat abruptly ended his term after just four years." Asked about whether he feels the election would place undue pres- sure on the inquiring magistrate Busuttil stressed that he believes in the independence of the judiciary. "I have already said I believe in the competence of magistrate Aar- on Bugeja. I added however that he will have a difficult task when it comes to the Egrant case because we all know what happened the night news about Egrant broke, when the banks' chairman could be seen escaping the bank with two suitcases in his hand," said Busut- til. He questioned how the magis- trate was expected to know what was in the bags, and whether he would have to believe the bank's chairman, "a person from Iran, with a colourful past". Moreover, he said that despite the various allegations surround- ing the bank and its chairman, he would "like to believe that the magistrate would remember these circumstances" and won't allow Muscat, himself or anyone else to influence him. The PN leader insisted that Malta was currently living through a state of uncertainty and instabil- ity because of the crisis created by the fact that Schembri had been re- tained despite being under crimi- nal investigation. "This crisis was created because what we have seen in the past days wasn't an isolated incident. It is the style of a corrupt government," he said. "We are in today's situa- tion because of three people who thought of their own personal gain instead of the country's." Busuttil also noted the way in which news of the snap election was covered by the international press. "Nobody said that an election was called because the Nationalist Party or the leader of the Opposi- tion had created instability," said Busuttil. "They said that a snap election was announced because Joseph Muscat and his chief of staff are faced with criminal accusa- tions of corruption." He stressed that foreign media was looking at the country not through a partisan lens, insisting they were reporting the facts as they were. Moreover, he accused Muscat of breaking several elector- al promises and in some cases do- ing the exact opposite of what was promised, especially when it came to the promised zero tolerance to corruption, accountability, trans- parency and meritocracy. "Muscat let us all down, big time. My promise is to not be like Joseph Muscat," said Busuttil. The PN leader acknowledged that many people had lost faith in poli- tics and this, he said, was the rea- son for the PN opening its doors to others to form a national coalition to clean up politics. Asked about his decision to frame the forthcoming election as a choice between Joseph Muscat and Malta, rather than himself, Busuttil said that corruption is bad for the whole country, and Muscat had become synonymous with cor- ruption. "It is a question of Joseph Muscat on the one hand, and Simon Busut- til, and many others who are saying the same thing, on the other," he said. Electoral programme Busuttil said that despite the PN publishing seven policy docu- ments, and putting forward a num- ber of proposals, in the coming days it would be officially putting forward its electoral programme. "The PN has already said that in addition to the electoral pro- gramme, it will be publishing a second programme focusing on Gozo," he said, adding that work on the programme was nearing com- pletion and would be announced in the coming days. In addition to this, he said the PN would also be publishing a pro- gramme focusing on youths. "We believe that while this is an election for the whole country, the future of youths is what is most at stake," he said. "We want to send a clear message that we are there for them and what we will be doing we will be doing for them." Muscat ahead among middle aged voters CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 But Muscat leads Busuttil by 10 points among 35- to 54-year-olds. Last month Muscat led Busuttil by five points among over 55-year-olds and by 12 points among 35- to 54-year olds. This suggests that while Busuttil has gained ground among the old- er age group, Muscat has lost two points among 35- to 54-year-olds. The survey shows that 69.4% (compared to 61.2% last month) of the 18- to 34-years- old group made up their mind whom they would be voting for, compared to 64.2% of 35-54-year-olds and 71.3% of over- 55-year-olds. The survey also shows the per- centage of non-voters among 35- to 54-year-olds decreasing from 13% to 10%. On the other hand the sur- vey now shows over 55-year olds as the most likely to have made up their mind. Among this category 75% have now made up their mind, up from 73% last month. Small parties enjoy the high- est level of support among 18- to 34-year olds. Among this age group 5.5% would vote for a small party. AD enjoys its largest support among under-35-year olds while the PD (which has now agreed to contest under the PN banner) is stronger among 35- to 54-year- olds. Maltese expats petition for right to vote abroad Subsidised Air Malta flights cost the taxpayer €1.1 million in the 2015 hunting referendum Which party will you vote for? Who do you trust most?