Labour would mess it all up – Gonzi

Calling for prudence, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi urged voters to weigh up what the Nationalist Party has to offer to the country and compare what the PN was offering to Labour's package.

Although Gonzi made no reference to the cabinet's decision on Friday to approve a presidential pardon to a businessman involved in the Enemalta oil scandal revealed by MaltaToday, in cryptic message Gonzi said: "The Labour Party's theatrics will soon be exposed. The curtains are falling down and balloons are bursting because of the things that happened and other things which are happening. Keep your eyes open for what is going on."

In an appeal for donations, PN leader Lawrence Gonzi encouraged the party faithful to invest in the party.

Speaking on the Nationalist Party's radio station this morning, Gonzi appealed for donations, hours before the PN kicks-off its fund raising telethon.

 "I urge you to invest in the Nationalist Party. The PN just obtained €1.128 billion in EU funds for the next seven years," Gonzi said, adding "Who will you trust with the €1.128 billion in the next five years?"

He said that while the PN had committed some errors it had proved to be a safe pair of hands during the toughest of times in the last five years.

"How could I trust Labour if they were incapable of presenting costings for their electoral manifesto, they are not committed to create 25,000 new jobs and they are adamant on building a power plant which the country does not need. They would only make a mess of it," Gonzi said.

Gonzi said he was successful in obtaining €1.128 billion by standing his ground in a reasonable manner and not by threatening to use a veto, as Labour leader Joseph Muscat had claimed he would do.

"Labour's bullying attitude would ruin Malta's positive international reputation. Where was Labour's during the Libyan conflict? When it comes to the moment of truth you cannot trust Labour. Take my word. The economic crisis is not over, therefore we need to take a cautious approach in public administration and have a government which remains focused on keeping Malta's finances on a sound footing."

The PN cannot compete with Labour's apparent bottomless well of funds, Gonzi said.

"In order to win the 9 March election, the PN needs to step up its efforts. We cannot match Labour's level of spending. I have no idea where Labour's financing is coming from, I have serious doubts and recent events have fomented further doubts," Gonzi said.

He added that not much time is left for polling day and in a impassioned appeal, the PN leader said: "If you want the PN to increase its dose of propaganda, we need you, we need your contribution however big it is. The PN gave everything to the country, it has given its energy, its competence and its best. Now we turn to you and ask you for help."

On his success in securing over a billion euros in EU funds for the 2014-2020 period, Gonzi explained that he had stood his ground firmly in the protracted negotiations in Brussels.

Noting that he stuck to the EU negotiating table right up to the last minute, Gonzi said that Malta was the last country to conclude negotiations and was determined not to go away with the deal offered up to the last five minutes of the drawn out talks.

He added that at 6am cuts to the EU budget meant that Malta was bound to lose much of what it had obtained hours earlier. Admitting that the meeting was hard fought, Gonzi said that after keeping firm to the very last minute, the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy gave in to most of Malta's demands.

"I insisted that the EU could not cut its budget and help other countries at Malta's expense," Gonzi said.

"We should be very pleased with what we have accomplished. €1.128 billion is no joke, these funds will help Malta maintain sound finances. We are already putting our electoral programme into practice," Gonzi added.

In contrast, he said, Labour wanted to spend half of that amount on a power station which Malta did not need, while the PN would guarantee that it would use the funds to improve the health services, to attract more investment and aid industry and small business and create new jobs.