Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/827043
maltatoday, TUESDAY, 23 MAY 2017 6 News NATIONALIST Party leader Si- mon Busuttil said he is against the introduction of embryo freezing, euthanasia and abor- tion, because he was not will- ing to accept anything that "tampers with life". "I don't personally agree with abortion and that is the posi- tion I will push forward," said Busuttil. "I don't agree with eu- thanasia, and I don't believe in embryo freezing, because they are all playing with the right to life." Busuttil was replying to a question by MaltaToday on- line editor Miriam Dalli dur- ing a Broadcasting Authority press conference, where jour- nalists from five media houses quizzed him on a range of sub- jects, ahead of next month's election. Dalli was accompanied by Keith Micallef from the Times of Malta, Cory Formosa from Union Print, PBS Head of News Reno Bugeja and Karl Stagno Navarra from ONE TV. Busuttil dismissed the notion that conservative elements within the coalition – which includes Marlene Farrugia and Godfrey Farrugia – would par- alyse the coalition on gender equality and civil liberties is- sues, adding that since becom- ing party leader, he had sought to "open up" the PN. Asked by Micallef about whether the PN had had enough time to reform itself since its 36,000-vote loss to the Labour Party four years ago, Busuttil said he had under- stood the reasons for the loss and had started to introduce changes. "We started by changing par- ty officials, and new methods for how things were done were introduced," he said. "On the one hand, I think disgruntled supporters still feel hurt by the PN, but I also feel that like me they know that the country's wellbeing is at stake." He pointed to the appoint- ment of a new shadow cabinet which he said had made it clear that he wanted a new team. Faced with the accusation of having created a party that was happy to tarnish Malta's name abroad, rather than one that been reformed, Busuttil insist- ed that there was a difference between criticising the Prime Minister and intentionally damaging Malta's reputation. "Joseph Muscat is not Malta," he said. "To criticise Muscat is not to criticise Malta, and I have done so because I love Malta and I don't want to see it tainted." Proposals Busuttil was questioned by Bugeja on the PN's propos- als on pensions, which he said would cost roughly €200 mil- lion, a figure Busuttil disputed, insisting that "Muscat should not be trusted with numbers". He said the proposal was a concrete one and would en- sure adequate pensions for the country's elderly citizens. "We are saying that the mini- mum pension will be increased and that income tax is no long- er paid on pensions," he said. "You have already paid income tax on your wage when you were working so why should you pay tax again when you are enjoying your retirement." The PN leader said there would be no increase in social security contributions, and no new taxes that would compen- sate for the higher cost of pen- sions. He said that while second pillar pensions made sense in terms of looking to the future, the PN understood that there wasn't agreement on the mat- ter and, if elected, would be willing to be flexible and to work with the opposition to reach an agreement. On how his government would fund its proposals, Bu- suttil insisted that many pro- posals, especially those related to road infrastructure, could be funded through the EU. Moreover, he said that the money saved by having a small- er cabinet and the absence of political scandals such as the Café Premier deal and the Gaf- farena expropriation would leave a PN government with more money for its proposals. Another source of funding, he said, would be the Individ- ual Investor Programme (IIP). Asked about what had changed since his initial re- sistance to the scheme, and about the fact that a number of people close to the PN were licensed agents in the scheme, Busuttil did not give a direct answer, insisting instead that the scheme would be "cleaned- up", on the recommendation of a group of experts appointed by himself. "While it will still attract in- TIM DIACONO PN leader Simon Busuttil has warned people to beware of deceptive phone calls from the Labour Party and ac- cused Joseph Muscat of playing dirty in a desperate attempt to retain power. Addressing a political activity in Gzi- ra, he said that an elderly woman called up Dar Centrali in tears yesterday to say that she had received a phone call from somebody warning that a PN government would cut off her pension. "They are calling up elderly people, abusing of their goodness and vulner- ability, to scare them that I will cut off their pensions," he said. "To these el- derly people, I assure them that I will actually raise your pensions to allow you to live decent lives. "Don't let Joseph Muscat abuse you. These people don't even have a drop of decency left, they have no idea of fair play, and they don't know how to play by the rules of the game." Busuttil also warned that 'goodies' have recently been handed out to em- ployees at the Education Department – with part-time contracts converted to full-time ones and indefinite contracts converted to permanent ones. "They are trying to buy people through the most desperate means possible, but I promise these workers that a PN government will guarantee that they will keep everything that is theirs by right." In his speech, Busuttil reiterated his warning that a victory for Labour on 3 June could spell the death of the finan- cial services industry in Malta. Indeed, he said that he found out that day that a particular businessman is putting a planned €40 million investment in Malta on hold pending the result of the election. "If Labour wins, then this investor will choose to go to Luxembourg or Cyprus instead of Malta. This is the gravity of the situation we are in." He mocked Muscat's recent claim in a PL mass meeting that he chose not to fire minister Konrad Mizzi and OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri because "the country needed them". "He left everything important and controversial in their hands – from the privatisation of three hospitals, to the sale of Enemalta, to the sale of passport schemes," he said. "They had their fin- gers in every pie. Muscat didn't remove them because he couldn't remove them, because he is also involved." 'Sant' Antnin fire result of government incompetence' Busuttil also pinned the blame on yesterday's fire at the Sant' Antnin waste treatment facility on the Labour government's "incompetence". "The government left Sant' Antnin in a dilapidated state. These people were so focused on getting rich off corrup- tion that they left the place abandoned. They should be ashamed of them- selves. These sort of things never oc- curred under a serious government." Marlene Farrugia accuses Labour of misogyny The political activity was also ad- dressed by the PN's candidates on the tenth district, including Partit Demokratiku leader Marlene Farru- gia. In her speech, she accused the 'Pan- ama Gang' of embarking on a misogy- nistic campaign against her because she is a female leader of a political leader. "This battle is being fought on many fronts, but we women must realize that the 'Panama Gang' has launched a campaign against me simply because I am a woman in a leadership position," she said. Farrugia received a roar of applause as she addressed the crowds of the tenth district, a PN stronghold, which she recently announced she would run on for the first time. She said that she made her decision because the district requires a "shield" to defend it against the rampant de- velopment under the Labour govern- ment. "Our past, our heritage and our memories have been sold and de- stroyed before our very eyes," she said. "Development should be part of a national and well-studied plan that respects residents, but the govern- ment has abandoned the residents and allowed investors to design their own roadmaps. This election is a do-or-die situation for the tenth district, and if you want your children to maintain a sense of identity, then a Forza Nazz- jonali must be voted into government." BA debate: Busuttil says he is against The leader of the Nationalist Party said he was not willing to accept anything that 'tampers with life' Busuttil accuses PL of deceptive phone calls: 'They are playing dirty'