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Updated | Labour Party calls for protest over fuel and gas price hikes
The PL has announced plans to hold a national demonstration in Valletta on Friday 14 January to protest the latest increases in the prices of essential items - including fuel and gas.
3 January 2011, 12:00am
Nestor Laiviera
Nestor Laiviera
1 min read
In a statement, Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat said that the Opposition would also be moving a motion in Parliament. The government, he maintained, was not protecting the interests of families and businesses while also only recently having doubled the salaries of its own ministers.
"My appeal is for all people of good will to join a movement so that in a peaceful but firm way they can show their disapproval of the price rises," Muscat said.
Reactions to the quick succession of fuel and gas price hikes that were announced barely in the first week of 2011 were immediate as unions and readers alike voiced disagreement and frustration.
Commentators who bemoaned the situation and calling for protests or some sort of social civil action were many, either on local internet for a or on social network websites such as facebook.
In a statement reacting to the announcement, the government hit out at the opposition for “choosing to be superficial in what it says about fuel.”
The opposition, government said, is trying to escape from international economic realities, adding that fuel prices are dictated by what goes on beyond Malta’s shores.
“The strategy proposed by the opposition is that government should continue increasing subsidies with the consequences that this would decrease investment in other sectors,” government said.
The government added that what is being proposed by the opposition has already been attempted by other countries that today find themselves under the ‘vice’ of high unemployment, “gross imbalances” and had reduced social services and increased fees for education and health care.
Government also published a table illustrating average fuel prices across the EU (see below).
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I agree the opposition is no opposition at all. One of the amin reasons is that the current government is legally despotic. He does everything right in a way to lead up the blues and downgrade the reds. Maybe JM being young will have some energy (if he wants to be PM) to start getting ready. The voice of the people is the strongest and this is the right time to commence. Let us hope the JM has enough support from his own machine.
Alfred Galea •
Ettore, you have all those smart people over there, you know, Europeans, the best at everything, you don't need me....isn't Malta gonna be the centre of excellence in 2015??
Marquette, walking up strada rjali ain't gonna change the government's mind aboput ANYTHING, they know they have the support of almost 50% of the voters, they know they have the means, the money and the media so when elections come along they'll win them.
bejn il-linji, EFA got his way by boycotting parliament and instigating civil unrest, leading to the worst violence in Malta's history....unless JM and his supporters are willing to do that, then marching up Republic street is just an exercise in futility.
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We had a lot of protests in the past why not now. one more thing In days gone by we had an inconsequential waiter by the name of ettore Bono (terrinu) who invented the story that Lord Gerald Strickland had been seen wearing the garb of a Freemason.
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We had a lot of protests in the past why not now. one more thing In days gone by we had an inconsequential waiter by the name of Terrinu ettore Bono (terrinu) We had a lot of protests in the pastwho invented the story that Lord Gerald Strickland had been seen wearing the garb of a Freemason.
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Demonstrations are a democratic tool. I will not attend because I am a coward but encourage anyone that would like to show for a better management of the country to attend.
This is the only tool that manage to change sides with special glue as used by EFA in 1980.
Luke Camilleri •
It's not only divorce that is posing a threat to the Maltese family, increase in cost of living and the stress for heads of housholds to make ends meet is also a threath to the family and ALL of good will should join in.
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We have had enough even during mass to help church homes, church schools and other entities with their bills as ALL are feeling the pinch with the increases in surcharges and we expect all to join .....and not get a free ride on those who have the COURAGE to come out , and show their faces in the protest!
Maureen Attard •
Jekk hemm bzonn jgholew il-prezzijiet, halluhom joghlew il-prezzijiet, basta nizdiedu €600 fil-gimgha ahna tal-kabinet u membri parlamentari....hahaha...
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Joe South its only a waste of time if comments are not followed by action.
There was a lot of talk now its action time and my advice to the LP is to keep on demonstrating day after day till this incompetent government is thrown out.
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My theory is that in a democratic context any party in opposition can unfold a plot (legitimately or otherwise) to bring a government down within a short time should it really want to but what one usually sees is that parties in opposition are only interested in revving up the people's dislike for a government so that the people will eventually vote them into power. Opposition is rarely genuinely interested in stopping the people's suffering or a government's abuse now. It only uses it intelligently to ferment its chances of winning the next election. So one cannot really say whether a protest is a good or useless thing. It's where the party organizing the protest wants to go with it that determines that party's real and honest intent.
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We'll just have to wait for you to come over and sort all our problems out.
Please hurry. ;)
Alfred Galea •
Ettore Bono, you are right, I live in Canada WHERE when the government of Mulroney introduced the GST (a sort of VAT) and in the next election they were left with TWO seats, you read that right, TWO seats.
As for the Liberals, they were involved in all kinds of scandals and they were voted out of office after 13 years. Now we have a minority government and things are not going too bad.
Moral of the story....you guys are a bunch of losers if you keep on voting these clowns in.....protests and demonstrations are for losers.
By the way.....it's gonna get a lot worse for you guys, but....you must be really happy, you just donated over a million euros to these corrupt bastards.
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What were the taxes that were introduced in and after the 2010 budget?
In the Budget we had an increase in the Water and Electricity bills, a drastic increase in the car licences which are increasing every year, followed by a drastic increase in the gas cylinders. In this budget the Government made a drastic increase in the Fuel, alcohol, Cigarettes, and instead of giving the energy vouchers he deducted these vouchers which amount to 11million a year. The government also made a first time buyer suffer most with the drastic increase in MEPA tarrifs followed by a drastic increase in Cement which surely will increase the property prices. After the Budget we had a drastic increase in the National Insurance. A drastic rise in fuel prices and gas cylinders where the Ministers and the Prime Minister were given a Eur600 weekly increment-in their wages. The Prime Minister committed himself to make a new Parliament and an open roof theatre and paid millions to Renzo Piano.Hope that Gonzi listens to the unions and not introduce the Second Pillar Pension which means that we have to pay an extra free apart from our National Insurance thus decreasing our Net Wage.
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@ Just Ray
Joe South cannot attend the protest since, unless I am mistaken, he lives in Canada.
Lino Camilleri •
What are we going to gain Mr. Joseph with protesting. We had a lot of protests in the past, but everything remain as established. I have learnt that to gain something we must go beyond protesting. I mean people have the right to defend themselves from extreme suffering.
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Yes you are right. So don't protest against the fuel prices because the government can't change that. Protest against the price of wages and things that the government can be able to make an impact
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OK, Mr Wise Guy. But Government determines wages and the rise needed to combat the rise in the price of fuel and the domino effect on the rest of the cost of living.
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This is a waste of time. The government does not determine the price of fuel. It's logical, just a waste of time. Ma nhalltux affarijiet.
Alfred Galea •
JR, in any other country I would attend something like that coz it MIGHT make a difference, but not in Malta.
In Malta, no matter what the parties do, no matter what kind of scandals their MPs are connected to, no matter the arrogance, incompetence and other failings they have, the voters will still vote for them.
And what makes it even worse, is that these jokers know it and so they couldn't give a rat's ass.
Look at the last election, one MP....JPO, not only he wasn't elected after the Mistra scandal, but he was elected from two districts.
Hradcore PN voters, with the help of the Fader, FatBoy Slim, Pippi and Loo will still vote for them.
So my advice to you is this.....enjoy it coz it's gonna get a hell of a lot worse UNLESS you guys grow balls and vote for other candidates/parties.
As for me being ok...I'm on a fixed income.
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The time has come for people who do not prefer to remain passive and supine encouraging Gonzi and his stooges to steamroll over them and over the rest of us all, to rally round Joseph Muscat and send a strong message to Gonzi and the PN government that we are fed up, e-x-a-s-p-e-r-a-t-e-d by their uncaring attitude towards the life of the nation. It is obvious that Gonzi and his stooges are too, exhausted, shorn of any ideas how to cope with the worsening economic situation. They should step down asap and do us all a big favour. They should withdraw to the Opposition benches, regroup and hopefully come up with a programme that could see the PN gearing up for a future date. It is only in the political wilderness that they may find their soul - if they do have one, that is - and start building a new future for the party. Where they are at the moment, i.e. on the Government benches they are only inflicting damage to the country and themselves as well. A popular protest as the one envisaged by Joseph Muscat may succeed in inducing them to realize this truth, this reality which the fat cats who are getting fatter while the nation groans try to keep concealing from them.
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@ Joe South.
You seem to be ok. I will be there for the protest and this is not a dream but to show my anger at the PN government.
Waste of time is nagging and doing nothing. Yes we must go and protest and show the world that we are more than fed up with GonziPN and his corrupt mob.
The PL should invite BBC, Euronews and CNN together with Italian media for the coverage of the demonstration and you Jos South should be there and protest!
Fed up with talk, we must take action and fast!
Alfred Galea •
Waste of time.
