Updated | Gonzi says Richard Cachia Caruana is the victim of a 'frame-up'

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said he is "disgusted" by the way things are unfolding in the Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando showdown with Richard Cachia Caruana.

This week, the Nationalist Party faced a turbulent week. On Thursday, the party's executive committee decided to ban MPs Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, Franco Debono and Jesmond Mugliett from contesting the next election as party candidates.

The party has also been involved in a war of words with Pullicino Orlando, who has asked the party to expel PN strategist and former ambassador Richard Cachia Caruana for colluding with the 1996-1998 Labour administration.

In an interview recorded on Saturday, Gonzi spoke at length on the Nationalist Party's decision to ban the three rebel MPs from contesting the general election on the PN ticket and Tuesday's meeting which will deal with the request to expel Richard Cachia Caruana from the party.

Asked to express his thoughts on the Pullicino Orlando accusations against Cachia Caruana, Gonzi said "I am disgusted by the way things are unfolding." He explained that after hearing the allegations leveled against Cachia Caruana, the party agreed to have a fair and just process.

"The process must be just, especially with who is being accused in order to understand what the charges are. The procedure was decided upon in the presence of Pullicino Orlando and we made sure that justice is done with the accused (Cachia Caruana) who has had his reputation tarnished by the accusations."

The PN leader added "The least I expected was to have the agreed procedure respected. I believe that the procedure is not being respected purposely."

He said that despite an agreement was reached to have a clear explanation of the accusations forwarded to the party "I still do not know what the details of the accusations are."

"This is a gross injustice and has all the ingredients of a frame-up to reach a goal to undermine the character and integrity and of a person."

Gonzi said he was also shocked by the declarations by former Labour ministers Karmenu Vella and Joe Mizzi.

He said Vella's declarations demonstrate his incompetence when he was minister said the former labour minister was participating in the frame-up against Cachia Caruana.

On Joe Mizzi, the Prime Minister said that he was minister without portfolio but responsible for the police at the time and asked "Since Mizzi was minister at the time, what did he do about it, if this error was done on purpose? I ask what did you do, because if this is true than you are an accomplice if you remained silent."

The Prime Minister added that Mizzi should have resigned over this fiasco and added that Mizzi's accusations are not against Cachia Caruana but against the police.

Gonzi said that Labour leader Joseph Muscat was also being irresponsible in all this. "Muscat has a lot to answer to. He is surrounded by people with skeletons in the cupboard who could end up leading the country. I hope the people realise what is really happening because this scandalous in all respects."

Gonzi boldly claimed that "In the best interest of the country, we will govern till the end of the legislature. If anyone wants to oppose this it will be in violation of the democratic process."

Speaking on Thursday's executive committee meeting, Gonzi said "We must look forward and not backwards, we are here to shape our future. The most important decision was that to approve 60 candidates, including ten new candidates."

He noted that more candidates would be added to it in the coming weeks and months, "bringing in fresh people with new ideas to the PN. A rainbow of different colours"

These candidates, he said, "will fly the PN flag, not their own flag. They carry the party's flag, as much as I am a flag bearer and as much as I toe the party line.

"The difference between us and Labour is that while we always sought the national interest, Joseph Muscat is a populist politician who tries to please whoever his audience is."

Gonzi explained that the country already witnessed this in the 1996-1998 period when the Labour government could not implement the "attractive promises" it made

"However we can never accept a situation where somebody, after being given ever chance to speak, opts not to toe the party line decided by the majority."

Gonzi said the three rebel MPs where not granted a free vote but still voted against the party whip.

"I had warned that the MPs will have to face consequences for their actions and the party has taken a very clear decision taken unanimously by the PN's highest organ."

He expressed hope that this experience would enable the party to be stronger and to look to the future.

Gonzi added that it is "unfair to claim that the PN has acted in a dictatorial manner. What is dictatorial was when somebody goes to Parliament and acts without telling anybody and mislead the people about his intentions," Gonzi said in reference to Pullicino Orlando's actions in Parliament.

"The MPs had a number of occasions to express their opposition and criticism within the party structures and we have listened to them and even changed things after discussing things."

Gonzi said the MPs criticism of the party's executive decision are "strange and make no sense."

He added that everybody must shoulder their responsibilities and said "I have been harping on the need to take every decision with the country's best interest in mind."

Gonzi denied that the government has lost its Parliamentary majority following Thursday's meeting. "Everyone has to shoulder his responsibilities and the national interest should always come first."

"The three MPs will now be judged by the way they act in the coming months. The government will govern up to the end of its term and if somebody decided otherwise he would have to shoulder his responsibilities. The government was elected for five years and those who decided otherwise would thus be going against the democratic process."

The Prime Minister said Malta has gained international respect for its efforts during the Libyan conflict and for weathering the international economic crisis.

"We have managed to show our competence by obtaining these positive results. I must remind that Joseph Muscat did not agree with our policies and he took to the streets to protest against our successful policies."

He lambasted Muscat for citing Cyprus as a model Malta should follow and said that if he had taken up Muscat's advise we would be asking for a bailout in the same way Cyprus is.

"Muscat cannot wash his hands from the litany of wrong decisions taken by Labour. He was at the forefront of the Opposition's crusade against EU membership. I challenge Muscat to publish recordings of a programme he anchored when he was a journalist called 'Made in Brussels'. I challenge him to justify his position against EU membership. He should tell us whether he was right or wrong."

"This is the reality and we will not be fooled by Muscat. We are honest with the people and take the right decisions for the country. We will not be populist but we will take decisions in best interest of country."

On electoral polls which show that that PN is lagging behind Labour by around 12 percentage points, Gonzi said that despite the clear gap in the polls  Muscat still claims to be the underdog.

"Who does he think he can fool? This is an insult. We must not lose hope. A large section of the electorate is still undecided and we can still persuade people that the PN is the right choice."

He added that the Nationalist government has committed a lot of mistakes but at the same time it has weathered the international storm and faired better than other countries in terms of employment and in avoiding austerity measures.

"Labour does not have anything to show but empty promises. We still have a lot to do but I am confident that we can go to the people and convince them to judge us by what we have done and not by what we have said."

"If one had to weigh the good and wrong things we have done, the balance is in favour of the good things we have accomplished. We have not managed to implement all our promises but we will do our utmost to create wealth and distribute it fairly."