[WATCH] Gonzi pledges ‘safe and secure future’ in campaign launch

'A safe and secure future', and the diversity of the Nationalist government's legislation: Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi today launched his party's electoral campaign at 10:30am, keen to tell the press he was not one for the kind of "gimmicks" Labour had up its sleeve.

An hour after the President signed the writ to dissolve the House, Gonzi was answering questions from a press curious to know why Labour's billboards had smothered the island hours before the PN was launching its campaign.

But Gonzi gave short shrift to claims that Labour were 'more enthusiastic': "We've just had our first press conference, and the billboards will go up soon after. It seems Labour has gone down the road of gimmicks," Gonzi said referring to Joseph Muscat's stroke-of-midnight campaign launch that put Labour's campaign on the agenda first thing in the morning.

Gonzi started off his electoral campaign with a stark warning to voters to take stock of the international financial crisis that had wrought havoc over so many eurozone member states, but which Malta had weathered thanks to the government's job-saving efforts.

"It was thanks to our policies directed at saving jobs, that around 5,000 factory jobs were saved and so was the livelihood of so many families safeguarded," Gonzi said.

Gonzi also defended his choice for a multi-coloured logo that represented the "diversity of the PN's programme... everybody should feel welcome, whatever their lifestyle, their colour, or their sexual orientation... we were the party that believed in the freedom of expression, and for the PN diversity will be the main ingredient in its policies."

But where had diversity featured in the last years when Gonzi opposed a divorce law, a cohabitation law first promised in 1998 was still yet to be legislated, and a restrictive IVF law had barred access to assisted reproduction to single mothers and gay couples?

"I think we treated these issues in a mature way: we held a referendum on divorce because it was not part of our electoral programme, and we accepted this result; our cohabitation law is in draft form and we did not have enough time to pass it through parliament but we have created a framework to protect the most vulnerable people in such relationships; and our IVF law is the fruit of long years of discussion in parliamentary committees which was approved by both sides of the House. I think we have had a legislative package that shows the diversity of this party."

Gonzi also called on voters to consider what future they wanted, promising a safe and secure future that built upon the successes of the last five years of Nationalist government.

"We want to create more jobs and better salaries over the next five years, because our creed is built upon the value of work. We want to leave more money in people's pockets, for workers and the self-employed, and to that end we have committed to tax cuts over the next three years.

"Our strategy will be to reduce taxes and keep social services free while investing more in the education of our children."

Gonzi also had some criticism in store for the last Labour government in 1996, accusing former prime minister Alfred Sant of having created a financial hole, increasing unemployment, turning university stipends into student debt, and tarnishing Malta's reputation in Europe after freezing Malta's application to join the EU.

The President of the Republic George Abela signed the writ of dissolution for the House today at 9:30am, in the presence of Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi.

With the House in dissolution, the campaign for the 9 March elections officially starts.

"The people have a clear choice to make that should be based on information, and not gimmicks," Gonzi told the press shortly afterwards. "My prediction is that it will be a good campaign and elections in the past proved the maturity of the country.

"It won't be a walk in the park, but it will be an important exercise in democracy."