Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/829524
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 28 MAY 2017 17 Interview PN leader Simon Busuttil says the 3 June election is not a choice between himself and Joseph Muscat and is quietly confident that the people will choose Malta and do away with the Labour government to grant our institutions. In other words, I don't want our institu- tions to be independent and cred- ible only while I am Prime Minis- ter, but even after I am no longer there. This is the biggest problem we've had over the last four years, Joseph Muscat not only appointed people to serve him, but he oblit- erated the people's trust and cred- ibility in the institutions. Let's take another example. The Ombuds- men and the Auditor General are elected by a two-thirds majority and these are effective institutions. The model is there. I'm not rein- venting the wheel, but I'm taking a model that is already working and applying it to the most important positions in the country from the President downwards… but you are right, that alone is not enough, because the disintegration of our institutions – you mentioned the police but there are others as well – is incredible. They have turned everything into a Labour Party club. And this is not right because these aren't paid by the Labour Party, they are paid by you and me, and they should be there to serve us too. How can you guarantee that a government run by the PN and PD would be stable, especially if the PD would control the bal- ance of power? Compared to the instability brought about by Joseph Muscat we will have one of the most sta- ble governments of all time. Firstly, because Joseph Muscat didn't even complete his five-year term and drowned in corruption after only four years. Also, Joseph Muscat is under criminal investigation, meaning even if he is re-elected, the instability is enormous. How can you have stability with a Prime Minister under investigation when the magistrate will most likely decide that there is enough evi- dence to take legal action against him. This is the biggest recipe for instability and I haven't even yet mentioned Malta's reputation, the damage to our reputation on a Eu- ropean and international level, and so on. But let me come to us, the stability coming from the work of the Forza Nazzjonali stems from our sound foundations. Something I admire about Marlene [Farru- gia] is that she never imposed any conditions such as being named minister. She never asked for a driver, a wage, or some other perk. And this is after she left from a party that had a lot more to offer to her, and could have offered her anything she wanted. Instead she joined forces with me based on what we both believe – and I have great respect for her great cour- age and her actions. This means we have to clear Malta's name and clean the political system. We have an opportunity on 3 June and I as- sure you I'm determined not to let this opportunity slip my grip if the public entrusts me with the responsibility. I also believe that what we're do- ing with the PD is important be- cause everyone knows how com- mitted Marlene is on certain issues such as good governance and even the environment. So people can rest assured that with her by my side, I will have additional con- trols on me to do the right thing. Not that I need Marlene to do this, but Marlene is such a stand- ard bearer in these two areas that I will have more pressure on me. And that is exactly what I want. I want the highest controls to be on me. If I cannot reach the highest levels then I'm not the right can- didate for the job. Full stop. Then I don't deserve to be chosen. Yes, I want the highest controls on the government I lead because people have lost so much faith in politics, because if we do not make an enor- mous leap in quality and do away with mediocrity, people would never forgive us, and they would be right to lost hope in politics. In 2013 after the government launched the IIP programme, you said that Maltese citizenship is priceless and not for sale. Now you are saying you are going to clean up the system and you are going to impose stricter condi- tions. Does this mean your posi- tion has changed? That's a fair question and it merits an answer. No, I haven't changed my opinion and I still disagree with the sale of our pass- port and citizenship. So let me ex- plain what we are going to do. We don't want to shock anyone, much less the economy, and much less the workers. It is important to us to send the message that we want a smooth transition. We don't want to demolish, but strengthen what is already in place. Specifi- cally, I'm making it clear that the IIP will not remain the same, and that I will change it in two ways: firstly by cleaning it up – because Keith Schembri tarnished it – and secondly by gathering a group of experts and asking them how to remove the element of 'sale,' which goes against my principles, while still attracting investors. After all, the scheme is called the Individual Investor Programme – so I'll ask these people how the scheme can truly attract investors while ad- dressing the aspect of principle, which is important to me and to many, many people, I believe. To the people who think I'm going to keep it or scrap it, I say that in life there is no black and white, there is the in between. I say that one can change something bad into something good, and one can im- prove on something that has given results. If you don't win this election, will you remain leader of the PN? I'm not so much focused on winning but rather on the peo- ple choosing Malta. I'm doing what I'm doing because I love my country, and because I believe our country deserves better, much, much better. Our focus and our message is 'I choose Malta.' I have a lot of faith that that is what will transpire, and so I don't really need to answer your question, because I almost blindly believe that people will choose Malta, because they are Maltese. Everyone loves their country and even the Labourites know that this is what we should be doing for Malta. It's not a ques- tion of choosing me or Joseph, it is much bigger than I. And because it is much bigger than I your ques- tion for me is almost secondary, because what happens to me per- sonally, is completely secondary. I am not that important in the equa- tion of what I will do if this does not happen. Watch the full interview on www.maltatoday.com.mt