Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/867386
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 30 AUGUST 2017 8 News To Dr Simon Busuttil, as the de facto leader of the opposition and of the Nationalist Party I would like to state that in the eyes of the law and of the mass- es who supported you, you are still the Leader of the Opposi- tion and the Leader of the Na- tionalist Party. However much you may or may not like it, both the coun- try and those thousands and thousands of Maltese of mixed political beliefs who flocked to the Granaries in Floriana for that glorious meeting before the last General Election, they still expect you to exercise and commit to practise those prin- ciples of integrity which de- manded high standards of any political appointee or aspirer thereto. As such, and in the light of the responsibilities that still impose on you in your role of de facto Leader, we have under your stewardship an aspiring so called Nationalist individ- ual who is already allegedly so much tainted with corruption and much worse, prostitution complicity, that had it been before the election, we would have seen you running to the courts, with boxes of docu- ments demanding magisterial inquiries. Now that we have what al- ready looks under the alleged accusations a second Konrad Mizzi and 'bella compania' in the making, it is inconceivable that you have not uttered a single word or stood up as per pre election time, and within hours demanded resignations or withdrawal from such an important leadership contest. This is pure and simple ab- dication of your responsibili- ties which unless you promptly stand up and make your pres- ence felt under the authority and responsibility you still owe to the Nation and the Party, you will go down in history as the biggest cheat ever. The people expect it of you, the principles of integrity so dear to so many thousands as shown during the elec- tion campaign DEMAND IT OF YOU. This has nothing to do with individuals but with practising what we have been preaching. On the second level, also un- der your de facto responsibility as still Leader of the National- ist Party, the party faithful, ex- cept for those co-inhabiting the Guardamangia Headquarters as per standard daily presence, are all of the opinion that YOU should stop this CHARADE of an election. One candidate is already a tainted corrupt con- tender, one candidate is like a candle burnt from both ends, and the other two, although faithful and honest as they come, do not have a shred of leadership in their character. This is a contest for which no- body outside the Guardaman- gia walls has any stomach for or even basic interest. What the country and more importantly the Nationalist Party needs at the moment, is strong leadership to continue where it left and deprive the present corrupt government the advantage of a leaderless opposition (because whoever is elected will simply not be con- sidered a 'leader' in any way). This should be for a period of two years during which there will be time for the Party to be able to choose the right can- didate, or for the right candi- date to make his candle shine. Thereafter, for the following two years, together or on his own this newly appointed lead- er will be able to take the Party to the next election, having had a two year background and another two years of guidance and support. Anything short of this is nothing less than a disaster for you, the Party and the Na- tion... so please stand up and be counted once again. F. Camilleri Hurricane Harvey expected to bring more devastation to Houston North Korea fires missile over Japan HOUSTON is still reeling after Hurricane Harvey and there is still more to come. The storm is reported to be re- gaining strength and, should it return, a major f lood will likely ensue. 52cms of rain was forecast to fall yesterday across the city while some areas may see as much as 125cms. Sur- rounding areas, including parts of Louisiana, are also expected to be struck by the tropical storm. Louisiana has now declared a state of emer- gency as they attempt to limit the amount of damage in the state. Nine people are al- ready confirmed to have died, including a family of six who drowned in f looding. An estimated 30,000 people are in need of shelter, while the Houston convention cen- tre has already reached its ca- pacity of 5,000 people. The whole city centre is closed and rescue workers are using boats in an attempt to reach people who are strand- ed in their homes. The Gov- ernor of Texas, Greg Abbott, has increased National Guard numbers to 12,000, the maxi- mum number possible. Police, Coast Guard and fire services are also attempt- ing to reach those who are trapped at home. The Coast Guard announced yesterday that they had rescued more than 100 people from roof- tops and had teams going street by street in search of people in danger. The Texan city has been del- uged by the storm, which is thought to be the third larg- est most destructive in recent American history after Hur- ricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Sandy in 2013. The Texas state government estimates that the total cost of the damage will top $10 billion. The US Federal Gov- ernment described the storm as 'a landmark event', with Federal Emergency Manage- ment Agency chief Brock Long saying that the clean-up and recovery may take several years. President Donald Trump and his wife visited the re- gion yesterday, paying visits to Corpus Christi and Austin in order to inspect the relief efforts. US President Donald Trump said all options to respond to North Korea were on the table after Pyongyang fired a bal- listic missile over Japan earlier on Tuesday. "The world has received North Korea's latest message loud and clear: this regime has signalled its contempt for its neighbours, for all members of the United Nations, and for minimum standards of ac- ceptable international behav- iour," Trump said in the state- ment released by the White House. "Threatening and destabilis- ing actions only increase the North Korean regime's isola- tion in the region and among all nations of the world. All options are on the table". North Korea fired the missile over Japan early on Tuesday morning, as Tokyo warned citizens in the north of the country to take cover. Japan's warning system kicked in, advising citizens on its northern Hokkaido island to take precautions, as the missile headed towards land in what was a significant esca- lation of Kim Jong-Un's mili- tary posturing. The missile later broke into three pieces and landed in the sea. It f lew for around 1,700 miles, reaching a maximum altitude of 350 miles, South Korean officials said. The Pen- tagon confirmed the launch. The Japanese military made no attempt to shoot down the unidentified missile, but condemned the launch in the strongest terms possible. "We will do our utmost to protect people's lives," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told re- porters. "This reckless act of launching a missile that f lies over our country is an unprec- edented, serious and impor- tant threat." Following a 40-minute phone call with Donald Trump, he said he and the US presi- dent had agreed to escalate the pressure on North Korea. "We must immediately hold an emergency meeting at the United Nations, and further strengthen pressure against North Korea," Abe said. North Korea remained defi- ant. "The US should know that it can neither browbeat the DPRK with any economic sanctions and military threats and blackmails nor make the DPRK f linch from the road chosen by itself," North Ko- rea's official Rodong Sinmun said later on Tuesday, using the initials of the North's of- ficial name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Kim has overseen more than 80 missile tests – more than both his father and grandfa- ther combined. The regime fired several short-range projectiles into the sea off its east coast on Saturday in what was thought to be a response to US-South Korean joint military exer- cises. Saturday's launch was the first since Pyongyang test- fired intercontinental ballistic missiles on July 28 that could have been designed to reach 6,200 miles, putting parts of the US mainland within reach. The North Korean dictator threatened to target Guam, the US territory, with a missile. Letter to the Editor