PM’s ‘outrage’ over Labour’s handling of EFSF ratification

Addressing a political activity in Swieqi, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said the Opposition “embarrassed” Malta in front of the “whole world that was waiting for us to approve the EFSF ratified agreement.”

Last Monday, after a five-hour session, Parliament approved a bill which ratified the European Financial Stability Facility. Initially, the bill was agreed upon in July and following the summer recess, Parliament had to approve the agreement as soon as it started, Wednesday before.

But former Prime Minister Alfred Sant raised an objection over a legal technicality. Sant repeatedly questioned the legality for approving the EFSF, which was originally approved by an act in July last year. The amendment was to provide for the extension of the facility.

Sant had objected and said that the updated text of the EFSF agreement had not been presented along with the resolution that authorises its approval. He added that the text needed to be examined in light of new obligations for Malta.

Then last Monday, after a lengthy session, Sant said that such amendments should be discussed at Committee level, to which Gonzi objected, saying that the Opposition could have viewed and analysed the documents before coming to Parliament.

“We gave the Opposition all it asked for and made our technical team available to them if they wanted more clarifications,” Gonzi said this morning. “But the Opposition insisted on being difficult and make us look bad when all eyes were on us.”

He said that it was to Malta’s benefit that the Eurozone regains its stability and uncertainty was not good for the country’s economy.

Gonzi added that government had agreed beforehand with Labour leader Joseph Muscat that it was important the document was unanimously approved. He reiterated that the EFSF was an important mechanism to safeguard the economic markets and it was in Malta’s interest of the workers to see that the markets are stabilised:

“There obviously is a hidden agenda if the Opposition wants to toy with the future of our workers,” Gonzi claimed.

He said that he felt “embarrassed” having to receive phone calls from “important ambassadors” all asking why the delay in the vote: “The Financial Times put us on the same scale as Slovakia, whose Opposition threatened to vote against the ratification. We prided ourselves in being a stable country and now this reputation has been tainted.”

Gonzi said Muscat was irresponsible and should have been aware of what was going on internally in the PL when it was discussing Europe’s economy.

“It is evident that Labour is not clear on its stand over Malta’s accession to the EU. Alfred Sant continues to question if it was a good idea and continuously criticises the Euro, while the Labour Party never disputed his claims.”

Gonzi also challenged Muscat to “say where he wants our country to head. Does he want Malta to remain at the heart of Europe?”

In another statement, Gonzi defended his government’s policy of liberalisation and said he prided himself in incentivising those companies who were contributing to Malta’s economic growth while stopped subsiding those which were not sustainable such as the old public transport system and the Malta Dry Docks.