PN leader calls on home affairs minister to shoulder responsibility

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil hit out at accusations of "irresponsibility" from home affairs minister Manuel Mallia, calling on Mallia to shoulder his responsibility for errors he had committed or which have taken place under his watch.

In a speech squarely aimed at the embattled minister, Busuttil told supporters at Nationalist Party gathering for its Independence celebrations that Mallia should shoulder his responsibility for a series of "errors" that had taken place under his watch.

Was it responsible to have police officers serving as waiters? Is it responsible to have police sea crafts being used to sunbathe instead of patrolling our shores? Is it responsible to claim to be in possession of half a million euros in cash?" Busuttil asked.

Busuttil denied being irresponsible in questioning independent institutions such as the police force and said: "It is not an attack on independent institutions if we do not agree with what they do. This is how democracy works," Busuttil said.

He added that Mallia should shoulder his responsibilities instead of calling on the Opposition to be responsible.

Speaking during a party event in Marsascala, PN leader Simon Busuttil expressed his optimism on the party's future despite suffering the biggest electoral defeat six months ago.

Addressing the small crowd of PN supporters who defied the threatening weather conditions on a windy and cloudy end of summer evening, Busuttil said that the party was in the process of addressing its organisational and financial problems.

"In recent weeks, iintensive work was being undertaken behind closed doors to ensure that the PN renews itself, our first priority to put our house in order following the electoral defeat in March. This is the political challenge which needs to be addressed in the run up to the next general election," Busuttil said.

The challenges include the reorganisation of the party and addressing the financial problems, Busuttil said.

"If we do not address these challenges now the party will not pick itself up in time for the next general election. Together with the rest of the leadership team we are working on strengthening the party's foundations. We can only build a strong party if we have strong foundations," he said.

The PN leader added that unlike the Labour Party, the PN had acted correctly and transparently after revealing the money it spent and received during this year's electoral campaign. The three-month campaign cost the Nationalist Party €2.2 million according to figures published by the party last week.

In reference to the Lab our Party's claims that the campaign cost it €1,5 million, Busuttil said: "Do you believe that the Labour Party's electoral campaign cost less than the Nationalist Party's? Or do you suspect, like I do that Labour is not being transparent?"

In the presence of a number of candidates running for the European election in May 2014,Busuttil said that the challenge ahead for the party was not easy but  he nonetheless expressed optimism in the run up to next year's election.

Insisting that the country needed a strong Nationalist Party, Busuttil said: "We will face the future with the necessary determination and strength."

Repeating his tirade against the police commissioner Peter Paul Zammit for his involvement in the investigations on the erroneous arraignment of a man in connection to a hold up, Busuttil described inspector Elton Taliana as a victim and described the police investigations as a fiasco.