Labour putting Malta’s future at risk – Gonzi

Asking voters to weigh their options well, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said: "After just seven days of campaigning the difference between the parties is very clear, while the PN stands for a safe and secure future, Labour's proposals put that very same future at risk."

"Labour's plans endanger the country's economic solidity, it will put your jobs at risk. They are gambling with your own job. Would you trust somebody who puts your future at risk?" Gozni asked PN supporters in Nardur.

Underlining the shortcomings in Labour's plans to reduce energy bills by 25%, he said that this would lead to "an increase in energy bills which would translate into the closure of hotels, factories, restaurants and jobs will be lost"

Tourism incentives, micro-invest incentives for small businesses and the creation of a Gozo Regional Council are the main PN proposals for Gozo, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said. 

On the proposed tunnel project between Malta and Gozo, Gonzi said that a new government would be constructed if this is proved feasible by the studies which are being carried out.

"I am optimist that the studies will prove that the project is viable and if this is confirmed a Nationalist Party will construct the tunnel. This will create more jobs for Gozitans and will make it easier for Maltese and foreign tourists to visit Gozo More tourism will mean more jobs and more wealth for Gozo," Gonzi said.

He said that attracting more cruise and conference tourism, improved access to Gozo, facilitating Mepa procedures for accommodation development applications in Gozo and more funding for cultural activities were among the proposals for Gozo the PN will include in its electoral programme.

"There is nothing in Gozo today which has not been created by the Nationalist Party. Now, it's time to think where we want to take Gozo. What are the challenges ahead of us and what do we want to achieve in Gozo," Gonzi said.

Explaining the PN's plans for Gozo, Gonzi said a new Nationalist administration would implement an regional economic plan for Gozo. He said the PN would implement a tourism plan for the island, which would attract both internal and external tourism and include new incentives to improve tourism accommodation, including hotels and farmhouses.

The PN leader also said that a new PN government would introduce a new ferry service linking Gozo to the Grand Harbour to make the island more accessible to cruise liner tourists.

Gonzi stressed the importance of sustaining the Eco-Gozo project and other incentives for SMEs in Gozo, including income tax cuts of up to €200,000 for those whoever opened a business in Gozo and created at least two jobs in all kinds of economic sectors.

He also said that a Regional Council would be integrated within the Gozo Ministry structures and include the MPs elected from Gozo. "The council will focus on creating more wealth and jobs in Gozo," the PN leader said.

The Nationalist Party took its road show to Nadur, Gozo on the same day Labour is holding its first mass meeting in Rabat, Gozo, a traditional PN stronghold which is being targeted by Labour as a possible swing district.

Although Labour has not won a majority in Gozo since 1955, the 13th electoral district is playing a strategic role in Labour's electoral plans to return to government after the absence of 15 years.

A MaltaToday survey in August 2012 showed that both parties stand a chance of winning Gozo's third seat. A Labour victory in Gozo would send shockwaves throughout the Nationalist Party, which has always considered the district as a safe conservative fortress.

Commenting on the polls which still show a substantial advantage the Labour Party enjoys on the PN, deputy leader Simon Busuttil said: "It is crucial to vote PN on 9 March. It is crucial because we can proudly say that we provided a safe and secure past and present and we will provide the country a safe and secure future for all."

Speaking on the Opposition's energy plan, Busuttil said the PN had already exposed key shortcomings in Labour's plans including the financial estimates and timeframes for the completion of the proposed project.

"[Labour leader] Joseph Muscat might have fooled us when Labour proposed the removal of VAT in 1996, however he did not fool us in calling for Malta to refute EU membership and we will not be fooled again by the his bogus energy plan," Busuttil said.

On the campaign's seventh day, secretary-general Paul Borg Olivier launched the party's campaign anthem, entitled 'Futur fis-Sod,' [A safe and secure future] which is the PN's electoral slogan.

Calling for financial support to sustain the party's eight-week electoral campaign, Borg Olivier urged the crowd of supporters to be "ambassadors for the Nationalist Party, because the party has a message and vision to convey to the country in contrast to Labour's gimmicks."

The island's two ministers Giovanna Debono and Chris Said also addressed the PN faithful in Nadur. New PN candidate Kevin Cutajar was also among the persons who addressed the crowd. Cutajar, a lawyer and founder of the Gozo Aid for Visually Impaired said the Prime Minister's presence in Gozo "strengthened the will" of PN voters in the sister island.