PN’s launching pad for re-election

In a somewhat lacklustre affair, the Nationalist Party discussed and approved its electoral programme on Friday, pinning its hopes on its 125-point manifesto.

In his own words, PN leader Lawrence Gonzi said that the electoral programme sums up the party's vision for a safe and secure future. "One should vote PN for the future, as only a PN government can guarantee a better future for the country," Gonzi told the PN general council.

The electoral programme, 'A further leap in quality' is focused on a handful of proposals which the PN hope could turn out to be game changers and earn the party an improbable fourth successive victory.

However, the PN programme has no major revolutionary ideas which Labour cannot match in its own manifesto, and the remaining six-week campaign increasingly looks like an overwhelming uphill struggle.

Education

The PN's major proposal is that of providing computer tablets to all students aged between seven and 16. This proposal stirred a lot of controversy as both major parties entered a race in which they attempted to outsmart each other in tabling the sexier offer to students.

However, while the PN proposal is well-researched and proffers a continuation to the valiant efforts by successive PN administrations to merge education and technology, Labour's hurried announcement of its own tablet scheme one hour before the PN announced its own, shows that the tables have turned completely.

In recent history, one of the reasons why the PN always kept itself one step ahead of the Labour Party was its ability to predict and pre-empt the Opposition's moves. This time around, not only is Labour taken over the mantle as the party richer in cash and manpower, but it is also richer in ideas, creativity and now pre-empting every PN move.

The PN is hedging its bets on a €23.7 million proposal which will see the device being used as a library tool, with announced agreements with publishers Klabb Kotba Maltin, Merlin and Book Distributors Ltd to transport Maltese literature into the digital realm.

With education being one of the cornerstones of the PN's legacy, the electoral programme includes a proposal which will see a new school opened every year up to 2020.

The programme also stipulates that a new PN government would link stipends to the cost of living mechanism and grant €500 to persons 21 years or older to visit an EU Member State to participate in cultural and educational programmes. Persons studying foreign languages would be eligible to a grant of €1,000.

A new PN government would be allocating €5 million for a voucher system, by which working parents, including single parents - whether fulltime, part time or on reduced hours - can use to cover the cost of sending their children to child care centres of their choice, public and private.

Stamp duty

In line with the 2013 Budget, the PN programme includes a proposal to remove stamp duty on transfers of all residences as inheritance or donation to children.

Income Tax

In a spectacular turnaround on the decision taken in the December budget to tax persons earning the minimum wage, the PN manifesto states that "minimum wage earners will not pay any income tax".

Following the 2013 Budget presented just over eight weeks ago, minimum-wage earners were set to pay income tax as of 2013, because the statutory bonus of €512 payable annually pushed them into the 15% tax band for those who earn over €8,501. This decision came under ferocious attack by the Opposition who pledged that it would reverse the decision to tax minimum wage earners.

Energy

Another highlight of the PN programme is the proposal to introduce a night energy tariff by 2014, applicable between 10pm and 6am with a tariff variation of between 7% and 26%.

The 200MW interconnector linking Malta to Sicily will provide 70% of the country's energy needs while the gas pipeline also linking Malta to Sicily will be completed by 2018.

Civil Rights

The PN programme, in tune with Labour and Alternattiva Demokratika proposes lowering the age of voters and candidates eligible to vote and contest local councils to 16.

The programme also endorses calls to allow Maltese persons living abroad to vote in Maltese embassies in EU countries. The programme does not specify whether Maltese nationals living in non-EU countries will be able to do the same.

As for gay rights, a Constitutional clause would be introduced, protecting persons from sexual orientation discrimination. Another proposal vaguely states that civil partnerships would be introduced, "allowing, for the first time ever, a recognition and legalisation of gay persons' relationships".

Environment

A proposal which could face opposition from some quarters is that of granting an amnesty to building irregularities built before the foundation of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority in 1992, on the condition that no new development can be approved without initiating a new process and a "proportional" fine must be paid to the local council.

Pensions and NI Contributions

Workers who opt to work only part-time can pay an adjusted pro-rata national insurance contribution to improve their pension. On the other hand, full- and part-timers could opt to raise their contribution and receive a higher pension.

Persons aged under 25 and the long-term unemployed who open a business will be granted tax holiday for two years and their national insurance will be credited to them. These benefits will be extended to three years for Gozitans and all women.

Pensioners who pay for a private pension would receive a full pension, along with the State pension, while persons receiving foreign service pensions would receive it fully.

Pensioners under the age of 65 and who choose to keep their job will see their NI contribution reduced from 15% to 10%. 

Every new born child will receive a €1,000 as a Child's Pension Account.

Sick leave

One proposal which will certainly face stern opposition from employers is that of allowing parents to apply for sick leave when their children fall ill, allowing them to achieve a more manageable work/life balance. The proposal would not grant parents more sick leave days, but parents would be able to use the current amount of days allowed by law to tend to their children.

Quotas

Following the Nationalist government's opposition to mandatory quotas for female participation at executive level on all government boards and public listed companies, the PN is now pledging to have 40% of all publicly-listed companies' board of directors composed of women by 2020.