PN the safer choice for tourism – Gonzi

It was not a coincidental choice, he told voters on the strategically important 10^th district (of which Pembroke forms part, along with Sliema and St Julian's). If the meeting took place in the heartland of Malta's thriving tourism sector, Gonzi explained that this was an acknowledgement of how important the tourism sector is to his party's strategic vision for Malta in the next five years.

Parts of tonight's event involved a meticulous breakdown of the successes registered by Gonzi's government: not just in tourism, but also in manufacturing, industry and other areas crucial to the economy.

If re-elected, a Nationalist government would invest €215 million in tourism. Why so much, he rhetorically asked? Because tourism is a sector from which everybody benefits. And the type of person who earns his living from tourism accounts for a large variety of different types of jobs: from those directly employed in hotels and restaurants, to those who are indirectly involved (referring to coach and taxi drivers, etc).

Another €100 million, he said, would be invested in manufacturing: an area which Gonzi declared had performed the equivalent of a miracle since just five years ago, when a number of factories were threatening to close (all these factories, he would added, are not only still in business but are now reinvesting and employing new workers).

Singling out aviation as one of many examples of his government's success, Gonzi proudly informed his audience that five years ago the entire sector was limited only to Lufthans Technic. Now, he said, we have an aviation park, and more aviation companies such as SR Technics have also opened shop in Malta.

All these industries employed hundreds of workers, and were invaluable contributors to the Maltese economic success story.

And there were others, too: the financial services sector has grown exponentially in recent years, and Malta has invested heavily in Information technology and its related offshoots: for instance, digital gaming, where Gonzi said young Maltese employees were earning good salaries and enjoying exceptional work conditions.

Nonetheless, these are crucial times when the successes that Malta has achieved in these and other sectors may be jeopardized by a choice to be taken next Saturday, Gonzi warned.

We cannot take this success for granted. Look around us, he told his listeners under the tent at Pembroke: everywhere you look there are signs of crisis in the rest of the eurozone. All the surrounding countries are going through difficult times.

But we, on the other hand, are doing well. And we will continue to do well, he said to great applause: reiterating his promise to create 25,000 new jobs in five years

"On Saturday you have a choice to make, but after that - when all the noise,, shouting, clapping and commotion finally settles - on Monday we will all have to go back to work..."

But will things be the same after March 9, he asked? Will people still have the same guarantee of a sound and secure future?

The Nationalist Party, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi insisted, remains the only safe bet for job creation and to guarantee our country's peace of mind.