Busuttil says government carried out political vendetta in ousting Arriva

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil has accused the government of vindicating Arriva's demise, dubbing its ousting as a vendetta.

"Upon being elected, the government intended on forcing Arriva out of Malta. Its demise was on the cards since the PL was elected," Busuttil said while addressing a party event at Xaghra this morning.

January 2 saw Transport Malta and Arriva officially sign a share-transfer agreement, bringing an end to Arriva's two and a half years in Malta. The agreement saw Transport Malta take over shares, assets, and its vehicles - including the maligned bendy buses.

Moreover, in light of Transport Joe Mizzi revealing he had never wanted Arriva's articulated buses on Malta's roads, then subsequently discovering them on Transport Malta's books, Busuttil slammed Transport Malta for its "incompetent" negotiations.

"During the negotiations on Arriva's departure, we told them we were not interested in the bendy buses in order to bring down the price. Following the negotiations, I gave a closer look to the final version of the agreement and despite our stand, we discovered that the bendy-buses were still on Transport Malta's books," Mizzi explained in an exclusive interview with Sunday newspaper Illum.

"Joe Mizzi's comments clearly show the incompetence of Transport Malta's negotiating skills and of the government as a whole," Busuttil argued.

"The government was prepared to win the election, but it is not prepared to govern Malta."

Echoing PN Transport spokesperson Toni Bezzina, Busuttil also called on the government to publish its agreement with Arriva.

"Transparency can only be achieved if the government publishes its agreement with Arriva," Busuttil said while insisting that the taxpayer had a right to know how much the transition cost.

"Government has hit an all time low" - Busuttil on citizenship scheme

Turning his attention on the government's contentious Individual Investor Programme (IIP), PN Leader Simon Busuttil has accused Prime Minister Joseph Muscat of "hitting an all time low" for comparing the IIP's income to the money acquired by Malta's accession to the EU.

"I was astounded to hear Joseph Muscat saying the country is expected to yield in more money than it acquires from the EU funds."

Simon Busuttil said the government is it an all time low for first lambasting the EU on migration, but at the same time, it wants to sell the European Union's citizenship.

"However, we were expecting this farce from a government who was never a fan of the EU," Busuttil said in a dig at the PL's opposition to Malta's accession to the EU in 2003.

Originally capped at €650,000, the sale of the Maltese passports to wealthy non-European expats has seen the government and the opposition in a tug of war.  However, negotiations between the government and the opposition proved fruitless, with the PN standing its ground and the government insisting that the IIP would ultimately be of benefit to Malta's coffers.

"Edward Scicluna told the European Parliament that Malta is expected to yield in 8 million from the IIP, but days later he told the Malta that it will yield in €1 billion," Busuttil explained.

"We then heard Joseph Muscat saying the citizenship scheme would yield in more money than EU funds. The Prime Minister must refresh his memory because last year alone Lawrence Gonzi secured €1.12 biillion in EU funds,"

Moreover, on the IIP, the PN leader said despite the revamped citizenship scheme, the opposition would nevertheless budge from its principle that it is against the sale of Maltese citizenship.

"The revamped citizenship scheme facilitates the sale of the Maltese passport and consequently, the PN is still against it," Busuttil stressed.

"The IIP is an insult to one's identity and values - how can you sell such an indispensable thing like one's identity?"

However, Busuttil said that notwithstanding their opposition to the scheme, the PN is ready to strike a consensus with the government, but only if Muscat and his government address their main opposition to the scheme: that citizenship is not for sale.

"If the government changes the scheme to a scheme of investment, then we are ready to discuss amendments," he argued.