'You do not know where you stand with Labour' - Gonzi

"A good captain does not abandon ship," Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said as he dispelled rumours of his imminent resignation from party leader once elections are held.

The Nationalist leader was speaking in Gozo, at the end of a busy week for the PN who held the yearly Independence festivities, which culminated in a mass meeting in Floriana on Thursday.

In an attempt to counter Labour's message portraying the PN as a party of yesteryear promoting divisive politics, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi described Labour's decision to hold its first ever congress during the week as "divisive."

"I am disappointed that the Labour Party tried to compete with the Independence festivities, instead of celebrating the nation's birth the Labour Party divided the country," Gonzi said.

Gonzi said Labour party leader Joseph Muscat cannot be trusted with leading the country and shed doubts on the PL leader's claims that his party will deliver on it promises.

Citing Muscat's previous proposal to introduce a Living Wage, Gonzi asked what has happened to the proposal and hit out at the sudden change of heart following Muscat's claims that minimum wage should not be increased.

Gonzi said: "The people do not know where they stand with Labour." He explained that two years ago Muscat spoke about introducing a Living Wage which he then toned down after being harshly criticised.

"Now he [Muscat] is going to another extreme, saying that it would be usless to raise the minimum wage. This means that Labour will freeze the minimum wage," Gonzi said.

The PN leader said the last time the country heard of a freeze was under previous Labour administrations.

"This takes us back to Mintoff economics which had been praised by [Labour MEP] Edward Scicluna, who is hoping to be Labour's finance minister," Gonzi said.

"How will Muscat finance his promises to reduce the water and electricity bills without introducing new taxes? I will tell you how, by freezing the minimum wage," Gonzi said.

The Prime Minister explained that if the minimum wage is not gradually increased it will shrink and said this should serve as a warning.

"On the other hand, we have increased the minimum wage every year and this has not affected the country competitiveness. We have increased social benefits, pensions and remained competitive, attracted investment and created more jobs," he said.

Referring directly to his Labour counterpart, Gonzi said "I cannot trust the country in your hands if you are not clear on what you will do."

Speaking on Gozo, Gonzi reminded that during the 1996-98 Labour administration, Gozo did not have a ministry and warned: "You cannot trust Labour and Labour won't work in Gozo."

Interviewed by Leonard callus, the Prime Minister said the Nationalist Party is synonymous with change in education, health services and job creation.

"We are the party that changed the country for the better. We are not ashamed to boast of the positive changes we carried out. On the other hand, Labour did bring change but it changed the country for the worse, citing the record levels in unemployment reached under the last Labour administration in 1996."

On the fast approaching elections, Gonzi said: "Everybody must take decisions on a daily basis, and soon we will soon take a very important decision. It will not be a decision that will last just five days, but a decision on who will govern for the next five years," the Nationalist leader said.

"Why should the people choose the PN over Labour? The answer is clear to me but it is the people that will be deciding. Take a look at what happened over the last four years. Other countries around us have taken wrong decisions whose effect will be felt for the next ten years. On the other hand look at us, we have taken the right decisions which might have been hard, but we can boast of one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe."

Gonzi added that the PN will bring the changes that the people want and not the changes "that others want for the people."