Malta Files articles 'the tip of the iceberg,' Cassola warns

Report by Stefan Paul Galea

Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Arnold Casols said today that the Malta Files articles published today were merely the tip of the iceberg, represented by Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri, and that this was bound to cause further damage to Malta and its reputation.

Cassola, who was addressing a press conference to announce the party's final list of candidates and its manifesto for the upcoming election in June, said that the party's electoral slogan - "An alternative vote is a clean vote for all" - makes one reflect on the moral collapse that the country finds itself in, as well as on the environment, the sea, the air and land.

He said that although parties had changed in the past 50 years, the two major political blocs still occupied all the institutions and all the boards.

“Today there are no checks and balances to defend the citizen," he said. "It is only the ombudsman who is functioning in this role.”

Cassola said that the two major parties were not addressing the issue of illegal boat houses commonly found in Armier Bay and which - AD believes - should be immediately demoloshed.

And, unlike the Nationalist and Labour parties, AD was refusing to pander on the hunting lobby.

“Whilst respecting the electorate’s decision in the referendum, this is an issue which we cannot let go of," he said. "AD has always taken a stand against hunting in spring and would pursue its mission to see an end to it."

Cassola said that the proposed Gozo tunnel was not sustainable and criticised other political parties for promising the development when not even one geological study to evaluate all the possibilities had been completed.

In its manifesto, AD vowed to clean up the institutional mess that had been created, were everything has been taken up by both major political parties.

“AD believes that anybody appointed on government boards and authorities, as well to important posts such as the police commissioner, would have to go through a public hearing parliament, and parliament would then have to check if they would be fit for the job in question.”

Both PN and PL agree that a race track should be built, yet Muscat is not taking into consideration the Mosta and Attard residents due to noise pollution in Ta' Qali, whilst on the other hand Busuttil seems to want to have the same pollution effects imposed on the Ħal Kirkop and Ħal Safi residents. Cassola added that AD will not beat around the bush, and come out clean in saying that a race track of the sort is not possible in a small island like Malta.