Joseph Muscat challenges government to prove its majority

In a reaction shortly after the Prime Minister's press conference on his government achievements in the last four years, Opposition leader Joseph Muscat said the prime minister had to prove he had a majority in parliament across various votes. He specifically referred to the Opposition's justice and home affairs motion. "If Gonzi has the support to govern, then he should govern - if not, he must find a way out," Muscat said.

Labour's press conference was held besides the bus terminus in Valletta with the new parliament building in the background, which Muscat described as "two fiascos" of Gonzi's administration.

"The public transport reform was imposed by the government with no consultation," said Muscat. On the construction of the new parliament, he said "while the government has no money for a struggling middle class and the self employed, it has the funds for a new parliament which will probably meet for three times a week."

He described the new parliament as an "extravagance" and said that Lawrence Gonzi's desicion to build a new parliament as a "huge disservice to the political class."

Muscat said the Gonzi administration is synonymous with "uncertainty and instability." On Gonzi's promise to visit families in their kitchens, Muscat said "instead of visiting people's kitchens, Gonzi took off to go on holiday."

"The biggest problem Gonzi is facing, apart from losing his majority in parliament, is that his sums are not adding up," Muscat said, referring to incorrect budgetary projections. Muscat said that since 2008, the government had incurred €600,000 in debt on a daily basis, "with nothing to show for it".

Speaking about the government economic track-record, Muscat said Gonzi's government "has got its projections wrong and has spent more than it intended to."

Asked to react to the Prime Minister's earlier claim that contrary to the Opposition's accusations, parliament had in fact taken a number of votes in the last few months, Muscat said "The Opposition has acted in a most responsible manner because we could have asked for a division on votes such as Croatia's EU accession and the Greek bailout, but we did not."

The Labour leader also said despite the Prime Minister's boasts about creating jobs, there had been no mention of projects such as Smart City, the White Rocks and Marsa sports villages, and the Corporate Village projects. "What has happened to the promised 7,000 jobs at Smart City?"

Muscat identified energy and health as the two main priorities for the government. He called for an end to the crisis management at Mater Dei Hospital and said that the involvement of the private sector could be a solution to the government's shortcomings in health.

On energy, Muscat said that Malta's total dependence on oil is endangering jobs and expressed the PL support to the government's ongoing talks with Qatar and Libya to purchase oil and gas.

The Opposition has today launched a webpage www.gonzi.pn which will list the government's shortcomings in the last four years. The site comes in the shape of a calendar which lists events by date. The public can also make its submissions and enter notes and comments.