Simon Busuttil: Joseph Muscat’s budget speech lacked substance

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s speech contained no substance and it only gets listeners to try and find out “where the catch was”, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said this evening.

In a press conference called after Muscat’s budget address, Busuttil said Muscat failed to mention anything about why the government did not reduce electricity tariffs, especially after this was requested by a number of social partners.

“Muscat also failed to justify the government was insisting on buying electricity from Electrogas, when it was clear that the interconnector was the cheaper option,” he said.

“The opposition is not against the use of natural gas but against the dangerous tanker in the middle of Marsaxlokk bay.”

Busuttil also said that the Muscat did explain why poverty was increasing especially among the elderly.

On people’s quality of life, he said that the Prime Minister tried to ridicule the opposition and their proposals: “Muscat tried to ridicule the opposition’s suggestion for the introduction of a tram when the suggestion was also included in the government’s own transport plan.”

He questioned the Prime Minister’s credentials on good governance and said that it was unacceptable for OPM Minister Konrad Mizzi and chief of staff Keith Schembri to keep their respective roles following the Panama Papers revelations.