The GSD has said that it “beggars belief” to hear the Chief Minister say that there is a breakdown of trust because of the Principal Auditor. 

A statement continued: “He uses that as a pretext to say that the GSLP will pass a law to constrain the Auditor from commenting on certain issues. This is self-serving lack of transparency and covering of tracks on speed. It is also just a further attempt to gag future criticism and people are entitled to wonder why the GSLP are so nervous." 

Leader of the Opposition, Keith Azopardi said: 

“If there is a breakdown of trust it is because of the antics of the GSLP Government - from presiding over waste and abuse; their opaque financial transactions; political favouritism; cronyism, erosion of checks and balances; intolerance to criticism or abuse of its power. These antics manifest themselves from the trashing of the auditor to the grandiose motorcades disconnected from reality or the evidence of conflicts of interest in public contracts and payments. 

“The Government say it wants a proper debate on the Principal Auditor Report. It’s not a proper debate till the one- sided slow drip-fed monologue stops. Even there the Government cannot act fairly. It manipulates the Parliamentary calendar to do a slow presentation of its jaundiced view in the hope of dominating the press and selling the public a one-sided view of things. In no other sophisticated Parliament would this manipulation of the calendar be possible in the middle of a debate. The reality is that this just shows precisely why reform is so necessary. But this won’t wash. The public see through this farce and the dying days of a politically bankrupt Government. When we set out our own explanations people will see even more clearly how much of a nonsense the last few days have been.”