Muscat 'immensely disappointed' by Church committee report on conversion therapy for gay people

Times of Malta
February 21, 2016

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160221/local/muscat-immensely-disappointed-by-church-committee-report-on-coversion.603225

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said today that he was immensely disappointed by comments by the committee which advised the Church on conversion therapy for gay people.

It was unbelievable, he said, that in this day and age, some people thought that sexual orientation was something that could be healed by medication and therapy.

This was an offence to the gay community and all those who wanted to live in a European society which respected the people's freedom. It was a similar offence to link homosexuality with child abuse.

Dr Muscat said he would defend the right of the Church to speak out, but the government would carry on with its legislation against such conversion therapy.

He could never accept a situation where any Maltese was called a sick or a pedophile because of a particular sexual orientation. 

In a speech at Zurrieq, Dr Muscat also referred to the employment of foreigners, saying the government would be vigilant. It would assist employers who could not find local workers with the skills they needed, but it would not tolerate the employment of foreign workers to undermine the working conditions of the Maltese.

This was a pro-business government but it expected businesses to respect the people and be a good corporate citizen.

That was why, he said, the government had launched a review of Palumbo operations in this country following complaints by neighbouring residents. It would thus sit down with Palumbo and residents and review what was going on.

On the environment, Dr Muscat said the government had more to learn, but it was not making the mistakes of the former government, such as when with the stroke of a pen, it allowed development in what had been green areas.

Dr Muscat highlighted plans for a new nature park in the south, close to Zonqor. The size of this park had been extended to areas which were previously earmarked for development, he said. Through this project alone, the government would be doing more for the enjoyment of families in the environment than the former government.

The prime minister devoted most of his speech to highlighting the government's achievements.

He said that as the economy grew, the government wanted to ensure that all sectors enjoyed the benefits, particularly those in the middle and lower classes.

The government had reduced income tax at a cost of €32 million. First time buyers had taxation reduced, at a total cost of €23 million. 33,000 had been given refunds on VAT they paid on car registration. The process would continue this year.

Was this corruption according to Simon Busuttil? Would he, therefore, seek this money back?

Under this government, 3,500 children had benefited from free childcare, for which their parents used to pay some €4,000 each. 1,600 schoolchildren also attended their schools' breakfast club.

29,000 persons aged over 75 had been given a grant costing €8.5m in all.

All these cost over €80m per year and the government had given the people even more through the reduction in electricity tariffs. 

This government also had a record of job creation and reduced unemployment. 

Dr Muscat said he could not believe how the shadow minister for health last week claimed corruption in the way how the government solved the problem of out of stock medicines. Was the PN saying that the thousands who were now finding the medicines they needed were benefiting from corruption? 

The PN had even gone so far as to claim corruption in the culture sector. Dr Busuttil had instilled politics in this sector and thus offended many artistes. This when Dr Busuttil had still not appointed a shadow minister for culture.