Muscat warns that 'justice will be done' over Bwsc deal

Adds PN statement at 12:40pm

Labour Party leader Joseph Muscat said GonziPN "is all talk but never changes." He said the PN government is very good at talking but only produces fiascos.

However, Muscat steered away completely from the John Dalli saga, which dominated the news headlines throughout the week.

Muscat made no mention of Dalli's resignation as EU Commissioner following investigations by the EU anti-fraud unit, OLAF, which found "circumstantial evidence" that he knew of a Maltese entrepreneur, Silvio Zammit, using his name to extract a bribe that could influence tobacco laws.

Instead Muscat spoke at length on the damage at the new Delimara power plant extension and the St Philip's Hospital deal.

"Confusion reigns in the GonziPN system, there is no stability in the GonziPN system. Families know this and Labour is offering a real change. A change in direction that will bring certainty and peace of mind," Muscat said.

In his concluding remarks, Muscat empathically told the party faithful "This change will bring a future that unites us all."

Addressing the Labour Party supporters in the customary Sunday sermon, Muscat said: "Faces might change, they [PN] might play musical chairs but the system never changed in the last 20 years, with people in the background pulling the strings."

"Genuine Nationalists know that the Nationalist Party of today is not the same party they loved in the past," Muscat said.

He added that the PN has lots its raison d'être and is unrecognisable to former PN loyalists because a small clique hijacked the party.

Muscat said he is worried because of the possibility of the country entering the new year without having an approved budget.

The Opposition leader said this should worry all, Nationalists, Labourites and the whole country and warned that this could result in the country losing jobs and foreign investment.

Describing it as his "biggest concern at the moment," Muscat said this will result in workers and employers not knowing what changes will come into force in terms of taxation, regulations and initiatives.

Speaking in Imtarfa, Muscat said all Maltese citizens of good will should be worried by the prospect of entering 2013 without having an approved budget.

The Opposition leader pointed out that a new Labour government will place the country's interests before everything. "We will speak less but do more for families and businesses."

He pointed out that the Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has cornered himself and his government by stating that there is no way out of the situation.

"It is very clear, the Prime Minister is turning this budget into a vote of confidence in his administration. We will not vote for this budget because we have no confidence in you," Muscat said to great applause.

On the damage of the new turbine at the Delimara power plant extension, Muscat said the Bwsc contract saga will not end here and warned that "justice will be made."

He reminded his followers that the Attorney General had warned that the contract signed with Bwsc for the construction of the new Delimara power plant extension was biased in favour of the Danish contractor.

Muscat said the government has signed up for an expensive and highly polluting power plant, which is not even operative. He added that to make things worse the government has already paid for the extension in advance even though the power plant is not operative.

"This is very worrying because the government has no energy policy and the country is totally dependent on an old power station which should have been closed 15 years ago," Muscat said, referring to the Marsa power plant.  

He said this dependence on the old Marsa plant will put jobs and the entire economy at risk.

"If something goes wrong, companies and businesses' energy supply security will be under threat."

Muscat asked why did the finance minister Tonio Fenech wait for Labour MP Joe Mizzi to reveal the damage at Delimara, when he surely must have known what the situation was before Mizzi spoke in Parliament.

"Those who think that this deal is over are mistaken, the story does not end here. When the election is over we will not forget this fiasco. We will do so responsibly because not only Labourites are annoyed with this but Nationalists do not accept this. Justice must be done," Muscat warned.

Muscat likened the Bwsc deal with the new deal government intends to sign for the lease of St Philip's Hospital. He made it clear that the Opposition's offer to scrutinise the deal before it is signed is still valid and stressed that Labour will agree with the deal if it turns out to be the most beneficial for patients.

He also hit out at the government's reluctance to consider the St Luke's Hospital, the former general hospital as an alternative for the rehabilitation hospital.

However in the meantime, Muscat said, €4 million were spent on the former nurses' school at St Luke's for one of the blue-eyed boys, in clear reference to the new Malta Enterprise offices. 

"This shows the lack of seriousness of the current administration," Muscat said.

Muscat said that the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee will meeting on Wednesday to discuss the deal and augured that government will have the decency not to sign the contract before the meeting and have the contract scrutinised by Parliament and the Auditor General.

Meanwhile in its reaction, the Nationalist Party said that although Muscat has been at the helm of the Labour Party for five years he remains mum on how he intends to create jobs if he becomes Prime Minister.

"Muscat remains silent. He expects people to vote him into power without saying what he intends to do once in power. Muscat means anxiety not peace of mind," the PN said.