Parties clash over security concerns and Schengen suspension

Labour has rebuked the Opposition for what it called a failure to recognize a ‘genuine sense of national unity and pride’ during the recent international summits held on the island.

Earlier today, the PN said that Opposition leader Simon Busuttil’s call for cooperation on national security had been met with a divisive speech in Parliament by Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela.

“Instead of accepting the Opposition’s call, he launched a senseless tirade against the Leader of the Opposition. It has now become a distinctive feature of the Labour Government to sow division instead of unity,” the PN said.

“It is ridiculous that Abela attacked the Opposition on security when he has single-handedly presided over the most serious security breach in our country in the last years. Abela is politically responsible for Identity Malta which has issued 14,000 residence permits to non-EU nationals in just one year. And for 7,000 visas granted by the Maltese consultate in Algeria in just eighteen months. These permits and visas have been riddled with allegations of corruption and a number of people have even been arraigned in Court.”

The PN said that the government had re-imposed controls with Schengen countries despite claiming that no security risks came from Europe, without convening a meeting of the Security Committee. “This is the real contradiction coming from a government and a minister that are more interested in sowing division than working for unity. On its part, the Opposition continues to call for a mature approach on security but it will never refrain from pointing out where the Minister and his Government are getting it wrong.”

In its reaction, the OPM accused the Opposition of being irresponsible by sowing doubt about Malta’s security ahead of two world summits.

“The Opposition leader has spared no opportunity to put all responsibility solely on the Prime Minister, basically saying that if anything went wrong, it would be the Prime Minister who would have to answer for it.”

“The Prime Minister shouldered that responsibility and took all the necessary decisions and measures to keep Maltese and guests safe.‎ This including keeping the Schengen rules suspended, something the Leader of the Opposition disagreed with.”

The Opposition continued with its scaremongering during the events, through its media, the OPM said. “Now that Malta, through the professional work of its Forces, was successful in getting the job done, the Opposition wants to jump on the bandwagon and is calling for ‘unity’.”

“Government is convinced that there was a genuine sense of national unity and pride that the Opposition‎ failed to notice during these events. It is up to the Opposition to make up for this failure and to show some responsibility. The first sign should be to stop using its media to try to dent the results Malta is achieving.”