.png)
.png)
.png)
PN deputy leader urges people to ‘stand up and talk’
Simon Busuttil says tomorrow’s Budget vote will be a test of ‘maturity’ for the Opposition
9 December 2012, 12:00am
Miriam Dalli
Miriam Dalli
2 min read
PN deputy leader Simon Busuttil addressing a political activity in Haz-Zebbug.
The new deputy leader of the Nationalist Party Simon Busuttil put the onus of the Budget vote tomorrow on the Opposition, despite the major threat of the Budget not passing is coming from the government's side given its one seat majority.
Intervening during a political activity held in Haz-Zebbug, Busuttil said that it was important that the Budget is approved. "We have a good budget and everyone should shoulder the responsibility - both our parliamentary group and the Opposition. Tomorrow will be Labour's first test of maturity," he insisted.
Turning to his leader Lawrence Gonzi, Busuttil said that the PN was united as one to support him. "Thank you for all you have done. It is true that the contest injected new enthusiasm in our party. But it cannot stop here," he said.
Busuttil added that the biggest challenge was yet to come: "We need, we must be prepared for it. To face it and win it. After this election there are more important things that need to be tackled. Think about the most important things in the everyday life of the people."
Busuttil insisted that the Nationalist government has given positive results in all sectors. "They are clear and concrete. The results are there. We have what it takes to win this election," he said to the enthusiasm of his audience.
Busuttil hit out at the Labour Party for failing to appear on PBS current affairs programme Dissett yesterday evening, set to hold a debate between Busuttil and one of the deputy leaders of the PL.
"Labour was yesterday invited to announce its ideas. But they weren't there. This is what doesn't exist in Malta," he added.
Busuttil said that the reduction in income tax as proposed by the budget would reach some 40,000 people. "These are the people that Joseph Muscat likes to call the 'new middle class'. But on Wednesday, because he wants to vote against it, he called these people 'rich'. He's calling them 'rich' from the Opposition benches... imagine what he will do when in government," Busuttil added.
The newly-elected deputy leader insisted that the PN was a "victim of its own success".
"We don't laud enough our achievements and we let others sow doubts in people's minds. We need to rekindle the enthusiasm and trust in this government. As from tomorrow I urge you to stand up and talk. Defend this government.
"If you are at the grocer's and you hear someone lamenting about government, tell them how you benefitted from it. Tell them how this government is the right choice for a better life. Because if we are united we will win this election," Busuttil said.
Miriam Dalli joined MaltaToday.com.mt in 2010 becoming assistant editor f...
•
And so this the BIG GonziPN HOPE! The Great Saviour who came in from the Brussels cold! Pathetic!
•
Yes let's talk Simon: let's remind everybody who helped himself to 500E behind our backs; who sent letters to so many workers promising heaven on earth; how the scandal of BWSC keeps haunting us; how 80 million were spent on non-priority projects while the number of those on the line of poverty went up to 88000 in 3 years...yes Simon, let's remind everybody...
•
Jidhirli li ghandu wiccu daqsxejn tost dan il-principjant minn mannarinu ..... skond hu "If you are at the grocer's and you hear someone lamenting about government, tell them how you benefitted from it .... " - jekk se noqoghdu nifthu halqna ma' kull min ikun qed igerger kontra gonzipn, mhux se jkollna sekonda kwiet .... ghax fuq l-arriva, fi strada rjali, fis-supermarket, ghand tal-haxix, ghand tal-gazzetti, fil-kazini tal-football, fil-postijiet tax-xoghol, fil-knisja, fil-pjazez, quddiem il-parlament il-gdid (!!!), hdejn l-istatwa ta' la valette, hdejn it-tejatru bla saqaf, ghand tal-lottu, fil-latrini, f'bugibba, il-belt, tas-sliema, il-furjana, hal balzan, haz-zabbar, l-isla, il-pieta, bormla, hal ghaxaq, il-mellieha, rahal gdid, il-bahrija, il-mosta, il-hamrun, birzebbuga, iz-zejtun, h'attard, il-gzira, ghawdex, san gwann, il-birgu, il-marsa, ir-rabat,, marsaxlokk, il-gudja ..... kulhadd igerger kontra gonzipn, kontra simple simon, kontra austin gatt, kontra gorg pullicin, kontra l-qaddisa ta' ghawdex, kontra miss world dolores christina, kontra pawlu borg olivier, kontra cachia caruana, kontra marthese portelli ..... se jkollna bicca xoghol iebsa sew buzu .... nahseb anki fil-hanut tal-familja tieghek f'mannarinu se jkun hemm hafna tgergir ..... ghax ma tmurx hemm int issikkithom .... u forsi ttihom xi pinzell b'xejn jew xi xkora siment jew xi bott zebgha blu jew xi nassa tal-grieden biex jaqbdu l-hafna grieden li hawn mas-saqajn bhalissa ......
•
GonziPN wants to make it to the 'Guinness Book of Records, by expecting the Opposition-the only one in Europe,- to vote with the Government on a vote of confidence, whilst his deputies vote against ! Childish and ridiculous!
Luke Camilleri •
Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools, that don't have brains enough to be honest.
~ Benjamin Franklin
•
This is a sad article because the first test was maturity was for Simon - and he failed miserably! ... It is very simple Simon: if the government has a majority it should govern. If it has a majority it should have no problem passing its budget. If it cannot pass its budget it simply means it has no majority and needs to resign. ... In a sense it is an interesting situation for the Maltese parliament because if JPO (who is an independent member) and Debono decide to join a coalition with the LP then the legislature could continue with a new government, led by Dr Muscat.
Luke Camilleri •
tomorrow’s Budget vote will be a test of ‘maturity’ not for the Opposition BUT FOR Gonzi's leadership of his party, of the country OR LACK OF IT!
The "new" PN deputy leader does not need to urge people to ‘stand up and talk’ WHEN THEY HAVE BEEN SHOUTING ALL ALONG and not given the ear!
He should know , he accompanied Dr. Gonzi on his kitchen visits, he is one of the OLIGARCHY, HE SHOULD KNOW, he was always in the picture!
•
The government should have started the promised Tax cuts of 5% in 2009. Those 40,000 people will only benefit from a 2% tax cut in 2013 and under a different government.
Do we assume that for Dr. Busutil 2,000 minimum wage earners are not important. Is this the way he deals with minorities?
•
Mr Busuttil said " PN is a victim of its own success." I remember that's what happened 30 years ago to Mintof.Dear Dr busuttil you had the chance to unite with Dr DEBONO.
•
If you are at the grocer's and you hear someone lamenting about government, tell them how you benefitted from it.......... Yes one would love to see how your heros would tackle the elctricity bills issue. Simon just shut the muck up you are making more damage to gonzipn............. on the other hand, just keep opening your trap.
•
For heaven's sake can't Simple Simon stop making a fool of himself. Throwing the responsability of the budget approval on PL how puerile can he get. One would have thought that with his election as deputy leader gonzipn would make a recovery except an even bigger S than Tonio Borg was elected. Let's be fair the gonzipn councillors did not have a choice, in gonzi's own words "...I have a very limited pool of talent to choose from". Yet the supposedly new blood hasn't injected any rivival into gonzipn's corpse.
Igor P. Shuvalov •
"Tomorrow will be Labour's first test of maturity,.." So said Simon. Yes since his election as Deputy leader of the PN. If he really followed the local political scene he is bound to know that during g the past years the Labour Party faced and passed many maturity tests and passed with flying colours. Just to mention one: the support given by the Labour Party to the nomination of Dr Tonio Borg as Commissioner for the European Union, which Simon tried to belittle and which perhaps he tried to make people forget, even when he spoke about political maturity to-day.
