Labour will 'create jobs and spread wealth'
Labour leader Joseph Muscat says the party will head a movement of work which will create jobs and spread wealth.
In an up-beat speech to the party faithful in Msida, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said that the party will head a "coalition of work".
He said that the coalition will not be composed solely of workers but will also include "employers and self employed who have an important role in building the country's future." He said that workers, employers and the self-employed should be "united" because raising the standards of employers will mean that the standards of workers will also improve.
Muscat insisted that "the cake should be shared by all and not two or three persons" and said that the creation of work will translate into wealth.
"The movement does not only want to create jobs but we also want to create jobs with rights. We want to improve the quality of jobs," the Opposition leader said.
He added that utility bills, the industrial service charge and bureaucracy is the greatest obstacle in creating jobs. Muscat repeated that the movement of moderates and progressives will be "biggest enemy to bureaucracy."
Muscat said a new Labour government would give Maltese and foreign investors equal importance because " what is important is their ideas, not their nationality."
"Some ministers are more intent on focusing on nepotism," Muscat said. He made reference to the Minister of Education, Dolores Cristina, son-in-law being awarded the post of a health consultant despite not being eligible. He described the case as "spectacular" and asked how the minister could remain silent in front of such an "inexplicable" situation.
Muscat also made reference to the involvement of Cristina's son in the mess of the suspension of EU funds for education programmes because of mismanagement.
"These matters are disgusting all persons of good will It is not only Labour voters and supporters who are bothered by what is happening, but many Nationalists are also disgusted. They cannot recognise their own party."
He added that a clique around Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has hijacked the PN, the government and is now trying to hijack country. "Meritocracy has disappeared from the government's vocabulary, let alone form practice."
"The movement will not be an accomplice in these decisions which do not reflect the reality. While people are suffering and concerned about fuel and gas prices, the Prime Minister wants a new luxurious office in the new parliament building."
Muscat explained that the government t is creating a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to fund the new parliament building. The SPV, Muscat said "will administer rental income from the airport and the cruise liner terminal. So, instead of going to the central government, these funds will go to the SPV."
"These funds previously used to go to government programmes including schools, education and social benefits. How will these funds be replaced, or will the various sectors involved suffer further funding cutbacks?" Muscat asked.
Referring to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, Muscat said "Labour will not be an accomplice in this and whoever is taking these decisions will have to shoulder responsibility on his own."
He explained that Gonzi had burdened the country with €1.8 billion in debts since taking helm in 2004. Muscat said debt was rising by €600,000 every day and "yet the Prime Minister has nothing to show for it."
Muscat added that the country's economy was slowing down and this is not only being claimed by the Opposition but the IMF and the European Commission said that economic growth would be of 1.2%, which is half of what the government had forecast.
"The government had to make up for its dishonesty in the last budget by undertaking a 40 million euro cut. I was shocked by the Finance Minister's reaction, who instead of being responsible and realistic claimed that there is not much difference between the government's projections and what the IMF and the European Commission is saying. Who do the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister think they are fooling?"
On the increase in gas prices, Muscat said the price hike was planned before the March Local Council elections "but somebody decided to keep it hush." He added that way of breaking the news on the eve of Good Friday was shocking.
"The complicity against consumers is disgusting. Nobody can say that it was a coincidence." He described the Malta Resources Authority as "toothless" and urged the authority to publish the workings "to see rationale behind the decision."
Muscat backed the current negotiations the government is holding with the Libyan and Qatari authorities to get a "preferential deal on gas and oil" but said that the Opposition is being proven right for maintaining that a solution to decrease the utility bills is possible despite the government's insistence that nothing could be done.
He said that it is laughable that negotiations are being led by the Finance Minister Tonio Fenech, "who made a mess out of construction works carried out in his own home."
Muscat also spoke about the Opposition's motion presented this week, calling for the resignation of Malta's permanent representative to the EU, Richard Cachia Caruana.
"This motion, is not about joining Partnership for Peace. It is about a four-year plot to get Malta back in the partnership without going through parliament, and without even mentioning this in the PN electoral programme.
"If the Prime Minister is sure that he is right about this matter and we are wrong than we should immediately discuss the motion in Parliament this week and see what parliament thinks about the government's behaviour," Muscat said.
He warned the party faithful to "expect a bag of lies from the government, because it is only weapon left for the PN. Muscat added that he has "hope and optimism that it is possible to create work and spread wealth. "
He called on all workers, self employed, students and pensioners to join the Labour Party on May Day in Valletta "to show that a coalition of work and the creation of jobs and wealth is possible."