Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/821520
2 maltatoday, TUESDAY, 9 MAY 2017 News Simon Busuttil says that Josie Muscat will respect party policy PAUL COCKS FORMER Nationalist MP Josie Muscat, in his time a star for the PN, will be expected to toe the party line on all issues and to deliver a message consistent with the values and principles of the PN, party leader Simon Busuttil said yesterday. Busuttil, who was address- ing a press conference during which he announced new pro- posals for the 3 June election, said that the PN had approved Josie Muscat's candidacy be- cause it was convinced that he would represent the party well. The 74-year-old PN hardlin- er from the Labour-dominated southern districts formed the Front Freedom Fighters after the 1981 election when Labour was re-elected with a majority of seats but a minority of votes. The FFF was a form of resist- ance action against Labour's authoritarian elements and its members were sympathisers of European fascism. Muscat withdrew from the political limelight after 1987, when the PN was returned to government, and went on to build a successful medical business, particularly in the treatment of infertility. He is currently chairman of St James Hospital. When MaltaToday pointed out that Muscat had once claimed that female victims of domestic violence often provoked the men into bat- tering them, Busuttil said he was aware of what Muscat had said. "I know that Josie and the PN did not always see eye to eye, as in the case of EU member- ship. But I firmly believe that, now that he has accepted to run under the PN ticket, Jo- sie will keep his word and toe the line on this issue, same sex unions and other matters," he said. Busuttil said that the PN would soon be presenting a number of proposals on how to better deal with domestic violence, which he said was a "big wound hurting our soci- ety". "And let us not forget that there are some in the National Force, such as the Democratic Party, who might not agree with the PN on all issues, but who were willing to put aside their differences in a bid to present a united alternative to this tainted and corrupt gov- ernment." He once again called on At- torney General Peter Grech to publish all reports compiled by the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit and to recognise that his loyalty and oath was to the constitution and the peo- ple and not to a few individuals in Castille. He acknowledged that it was illegal for anyone to publish ongoing FIAU reports, but insisted he was willing to take full responsibility and publish any of the unit's re- ports on Schembri, Tonna and anyone else involved in graft and money laundering. "The Attorney General finds himself in the untenable posi- tion of being the legal repre- sentative of the government and finding himself in pos- session of reports proving that three top government officials are corrupt," Busuttil said. "I have nothing against Grech personally, but I be- lieve people should have some backbone and stand up for what they know to be right, and if he's not willing to do that, then someone should pass the reports to me and I will publish them." The 74-year-old PN former hardliner – who has in the past denigrated female victims of domestic violence and criticised same-sex unions – will contest the election for the PN on the Labour- dominated southern districts FAA calls on political parties to consider environment in electoral manifestos PAUL COCKS IT'S time that Maltese people's rights to access an unpolluted environment, health and well- being are recognised and pro- tected, Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar said yesterday. In a statement, the activist group said that the protection of the environment should be entrenched in the Constitution and citizens given the right to sue the government when it fails to implement and enforce laws to protect the environ- ment and air quality. FAA said that Outside De- velopment Zones areas and public domain sites should be designated as no-building and no-commerce zones and that this principle too should be en- trenched in the Constitution. "As part of a broad review of planning laws, planning agen- cies need to be granted greater support and authority to en- sure universal compliance to existing policies as well as true and effective protection of third party rights," it said. "Moreover, civil society should constitute 50% of all planning boards and appeals bodies, which should also in- clude representatives of the Architects' Chamber." The eNGO insisted that un- til a national master plan is drafted in line with the Strate- gic Plan for Environment and Development (SPED), applica- tions for development higher than 10 floors should be im- mediately frozen, including any permits under appeal. "Development applications should not be allowed to wors- en situations created by past permits issued without a cor- responding investment in in- frastructure to handle result- ant traffic," the FAA said. "Such intensive developments should be made to pay for in- frastructural improvement – through public transport upgrades – coupled with the introduction of a nationwide network of safe cycle lanes and increased enforcement on ve- hicles belching emissions abu- sively." The FAA also called for Ma- noel Island and White Rocks to be declared public parks and for the authorities to improve access to Gozo without trigger- ing an increase in cars and pol- lution on the sister island. "We also believe it is time to reinstate protection of heritage properties, establish a system of grants for owners of heritage properties and introduce tax exemption or grants for NGOs preserving properties or the environment," it said. he FAA insisted that until a national master plan is drafted in line with the Strategic Plan for Environment and Development (SPED), applications for development higher than 10 floors should be immediately frozen, including any permits under appeal