BREAKING NOW/Opposition to present parliamentary motion of no confidence in the government

The Opposition leader has called a press conference at Parliament House and announced that he will bring before parliament a motion of no confidence in the government.

“Malta cannot continue to be led by a government embroiled in the Panama Papers scandal,” he said. “The Prime Minister has failed to sack his chief of staff and his Energy and Health Minister. The egoism of these three people is now having a negative effect on Malta’s international reputation and its domestic economy.”

For the first time, Simon Busuttil called categorically for the Prime Minister himself to step down. “Konrad Mizzi has become irrelevant already because of the damage he has caused the country. That he should step down is not enough. Joseph Muscat must go too. He has pushed the envelope too far and Malta is now paying a severe price for that.”

Prime Minister Muscat is in no position to promote and protect Malta’s economically crucial financial services industry “when those closest to him have chosen to set up in Panama and New Zealand”, Busuttil said. “The scandal has now gone international and has shaken Malta. People are furious that the Prime Minister chose to defend his chief of staff and his minister, while the rest of the government did nothing to stop the rot.”

The Opposition leader said that he is not seeking an early election and that the motion of no confidence in the government should not be interpreted that way. But it has now become clear as day that Muscat himself cannot continue to lead that government, he said, not when his two closest collaborators are so deeply embroiled in this worldwide scandal.

Busuttil referred to a stern statement released by the Malta Employers Association yesterday, which sounded the alarm about the risk posed to 9,000 jobs in Malta’s financial services industry. “People involved in financial services have approached the Opposition party and expressed their concern that they may lose contacts and contracts because of the reputational risk to which Malta is now exposed,” he said.

“Malta cannot take over the presidency of the European Union when the Prime Minister is involved in such a great scandal,” Simon Busuttil said, raising another point that has so far been overlooked as the story erupted and snowballed.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat (left) and Energy and Health Minister Konrad Mizzi (right)