Manuel Cuschieri lashes out at ‘egoistic’ business owners

Manuel Cuschieri has lashed out against “egoistic” business owners who complained that the government’s Covid-19 financial aid package was not enough to keep them afloat and save jobs.

The One Radio presenter said during his programme on Saturday that businesses struggling under the burden of the coronavirus should “stop moaning” and “stop threatening workers with losing their jobs.”

“Do you think anyone will believe you when you say you cannot keep operating… that the situation is difficult and you can’t recover from it?” the Alfred Sant-era propagandist asked.

Cuschieri also appeared to call on the government to keep in mind which businesses complained that the measures were not sufficient.

“Some of them said they were not happy with what Labour government offered them. This is not surprising. They were never happy and won’t he happy now,” he said, “The government should note which big businesses don’t know how to be generous.

The government’s €1.8 billion package, announced Wednesday, was generally panned by social partners, the Opposition and businesses for not being strong enough to help Malta’s industries in the current trying times.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Robert Abela and Economy Minister Silvio Schembri both indicated the government was considering additional measures to safeguard businesses and jobs, following complaints by the unions.