Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant said that he cannot trust the Nationalist Opposition to be honest and serious in its claims about good governance. Dr Sant said the PN’s election campaign has been so negative that it completely drowned whatever good leads it could have raised regarding better governance for the country. Those who remained sceptical about the arguments and allegations advanced by the Opposition Leader effectively came to be lambasted as themselves criminal and corrupt; let aside those who flatly disagreed with him.
Dr Sant said the impression was then given – whether true or not is hardly material – that somebody noticed the whole approach had become too negative. “So it needed to be balanced with proposals for future action by a “generous” government. We were therefore treated to a series of promises which were perceived as unbalanced and as put together without too much preparation. Unfortunately, you cannot compensate for negativism by promising everything to everybody. Especially if you’re running a campaign that is fundamentally anchored to negative messages that must be repeated over and over again. In this context, “positive” proposals end up as not to be believed. Moreover they are recognised for what they truly are: a procedure intended to let the negative message continue unabated.”
The Opposition’s campaign seems to have fallen into such a trap. On this point surely, its leader has only himself to blame, said the Maltese MEP.
“With all due respect, I just can have no trust in the statements about good governance and against corruption that the PN is making. For one thing, the proposals the PN is advancing today are not new. They have been around for a long, long time. There exist models to show how they have been introduced elsewhere.”
Dr Sant said that over the years, together with his colleagues, he suggested initiatives by which to respond to corruption, in an effective manner, not simply by flailing and wailing. Labour revealed cases of administrative abuse as well as of decisions that were really crooked regarding huge public contracts ranging from Chambray, to the projects for the Auxiliaries Scheme, San Raffaele and in its wake Mater Dei the hospital, to the drydocks, public transport and Mistra.
“Time after time, instead of launching serious investigations, successive PN governments treated the questions we raised as if they were clownish affairs. Scores of millions of euros were involved. No, I’m sorry. I cannot trust the Nationalist Opposition to be honest and serious in its claims about good governance.” remarked the former Prime Minister.
Maltese Version – ‘MA NAFDAX LILL-OPPOŻIZZJONI NAZZJONALISTA DWAR TMEXXIJA NADIFA’
Il-Kap tad-Delegazzjoni Laburista fil-Parlament Ewropew qal li ma jafdax lill-Oppożizzjoni Nazzjonalista dwar tmexxija nadifa. Dr Sant qal li l-kampanja tal-PN tant kienet negattiva li għarrqet għal kollox kwalunkwe spunti tajba li seta’ kellha dwar il-ħtieġa għal governanza aħjar f’pajjiżna. Kull min baqa’ dubjuż dwar l-argumenti u l-allegazzjonijiet tal-Kap tal-Oppożizzjoni effettivament kien qed jiġi mgħajjar kriminali u korrott; aħseb u ara min ma qabilx miegħu.
“L-impressjoni li ngħatat imbagħad – veru jew le – kienet li xi ħadd induna li l-biċċa saret wisq negattiva. Għalhekk kellha tiġi bbilanċjata bi proposti ta’ tmexxija minn gvern “ġeneruż”. Allura kellna sensiela ta’ wegħdiet li nħassew żbilanċjati u magħmula bla wisq studju. B’xorti ħażina, in-negattività ma tissewwiex b’suġġerimenti li jwegħdu kollox lil kulħadd. Aktar u aktar jekk kampanja tkun imsejsa b’mod fondamentali, fuq negattiv li jrid jibqa’ jiġi ripetut. Mhux biss il-proposti “pożittivi” jinħassu bħala mhux kredibbli. Talli jintgħarfu ta’ li huma: paraventu ħalli n-negattiv jista’ jibqa’ għaddej. Il-kampanja tal-Oppożizzjoni waqgħet f’din in-nassa. Dwar hekk min qed imexxiha ma jista’ jwaħħal f’ħadd, ħlief fih innifsu.”
Dr Sant qal li ma jafdax il-PN dwar governanza tajba u miżuri li qed jiġu proposti għal kontra l-korruzzjoni. Ħafna mill-proposti li l-PN qed jagħmel illum mhumiex ġodda. Ilhom jeżistu snin u għomor. Hemm mudelli ta’ kif iddaħħlu f’pajjiżi oħra.
“Matul is-snin, sħabi u jien tlaqna għal kemm l-inizjattiva maħsuba biex tilqa’ għall-korruzzjoni b’mod effettiv, mhux sempliċement bil-biki u t-tgħażżiż tas-snin. Żvelajna abbużi ta’ poter u deċiżjonijiet fil-veru sens ivvizzjati dwar kuntratti pubbliċi kbar, minn Chambray sal-proġett tal-Awżiljarji, San Raffaele u warajh Mater Dei sat-tarznari, il-karozzi tal-linja u l-Mistra.”
Dr Sant qal li minflok ġew investigati bis-serjetà, gvernijiet Nazzjonalisti ttrattaw il-każi mqajma bħala buffunata. Għexieren ta’ miljuni ta’ ewro kienu involuti.
“Le jiddispjaċini, ma nistax nafda lill-Oppożizzjoni Nazzjonalista li tista’ tkun serja dwar governanza nadifa.” saħaq Alfred Sant.
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