Upbeat Muscat wants mid-term majority in councils’ elections

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has exhorted One Radio listeners to give his government a majority in the 11 April local council elections, in what he described as “mid-term elections” that are usually won by the Opposition.

“In the past, when Labour lost heavily in general elections, it always clinched the local councils. We want to break this trend to win, even with a small majority, for a vote of confidence,” Muscat said, whose two-year government retains a healthy nine-seat majority but is beset by criticism on its transparency and governance record.

The majority of local councils being voted on for this round of the local elections are mainly Labour-led councils.

In an interview on One Radio, Muscat placed special importance on energy, health and fuel prices.

Although one year behind schedule, Muscat defended his plans to convert the Delimara power station to LNG from heavy fuel oil, closing down the old Marsa power station and bringing in a hefty Chinese investment into state utility Enemalta.

“We are not scared of making the necessary changes… now it’s time for those who suffered the most inconvenience of these power stations, to be compensated ‘environmentally’ with a regeneration of their towns,” Muscat said.

He hit out at the Opposition’s lack of support on the government’s policy of price stability on fuel prices, saying the PN wanted fuel prices to rise and fall with the movements of crude oil. “It is clear that the price of fuel in our country is cheaper than the EU average, as confirmed from official EU data – around 7c lower than the average. If you see it over the long-term, we have paid less than the EU average.

“The choice if clear: either our policy of price stability that led to some eight reductions in petrol these years, or the Opposition’s policy to change fuel prices according to the changing price of oil.”

Muscat also said a raft of tax credits, tax cuts, and free childcare, had reduced the burden on the middle class, especially for families starting out. “First-time buyers have saved €5,000, and they can save up to €6,000 in free childcare,” Muscat said, adding that his government will be building on its record for other segments of society.

The prime minister said his government was now seeking to improve health services by providing more space for hospital beds while keeping health financing sustainable.

“Mater Dei is small… St Luke’s was a larger hospital and still had people in hospital beds inside the corridors. Now that there are more curable diseases and longer life expectancy, I feel this necessitates a larger hospital. We want to enlarge Mater Dei where possible to insert more beds… and bring St Luke’s up to par with Mater Dei, now that we have Barts working with us,” Muscat said of Labour’s €200 million investment project that will see upgrades for Karen Grech Hospital, the Gozo General Hospital, and also the Mount Carmel Hospital.

“There’s no doubt about the multiplier effect of this project. It will create 1,200 new workplaces, creating a cluster for health in the Mediterranean. There is a high demand for medical care in the Mediterranean, in a world where there are not many countries that offer top-class health and a safe environment for rehabilitation.”

He also had a parting shot for Nationalist whip David Agius over revelations in MaltaToday that he had been alerted to a system of private construction works in Gozo being paid out of the ministerial budget. “I am surprised that Nationalist whip David Agius said he was not aware of this case, but now correspondence shows that the whistleblower made contact with him. Is it possible that he did not tell anyone? And if he did, who did speak to?”