Thousands of votes as yet uncollected, Muscat claims

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that 70,000 MEP votes and 130,000 local council votes are yet to be collected and claimed that the reason for this is that people are usually out at work.

"There are thousands of votes that haven't been collected yet because the police aren't finding anyone at home. People are likely at work, because this government has made sure that employment is a priority," Muscat said. He was speaking at a political activity in Rabat.

In fact, he argued, when most people are asked what they wish for today, they are likely not to mention money, he claimed. He insisted that the most important thing for people now was spending time with family, seeing one's children grow.

"This is why the government chose to use up land in the name of the environment and not in the name of the economy. Just a few weeks ago, we came up with this idea of converting a large, polluting factory in an area in Ta' Qali into a park," Muscat said. He was referring to Friday morning's inauguration of a large open space project in Ta' Qali.

“We are also going beyond just the land space taken up by the factory and the space which will be known as the Malta National Park will be as large as 63 football grounds,” Muscat said, adding that Ta’ Qali will be twice its current size.

"Others say that they have the environment at heart when the best that they have done is widen the confines of development in 2006. Yes, we are criticised on the environment but with this project we want to send a strong message that we are listening to people, that we're now introducing a new lung in the area."

Muscat also made reference to the afforestation project recently inaugurated by Environment Minister José Herrera at Benghajsa in Delimara.

He justified the growth rate of the country in terms of infrastructure and the economy by saying that a Labour administration was not happy with being small and minute and possibly insignificant. "We want our children to be spoilt for choice. We don't want our children to be chasing work but the other way round."

Adrian Delia—At least 20 people won't be voting in these elections

Opposition Leader Adrian Delia said that at least 20 people won't be voting in the upcoming MEP and local council elections because they would have succumbed to respiratory diseases and other illnesses related to the bad air quality.

Adrian Delia at a political activity in Zurrieq

Delia insisted that he would stick to this particular theme because people who had the environment at heart weren't the ones with a heart on a billboard but the ones who wanted a better country. He was speaking at a political activity in Zurrieq.

"Someone told me not to speak about the polluted air because people cannot see it or because they won't understand. 600 people dying a year due to respiratory diseases means that 10 people per week are dying. This means 20 won't be voting in the next elections on 25 May," Delia said, adding that the cars were increasing at a rate of 70 new vehicles per day.

"2,000 new people per year are being certified as having cancer in this country and one in four deaths are also attributed to this terminal illness. The PN always believed that Malta can fight this disease and had obtained funds for an Oncology department and introduced systems of breast screenings," Delia said.

He added that the PN wanted to reintroduce a social soul into its politics, a social soul that the Labour party had forgotten. "Our politicians are there to serve and improve your lives and treat Maltese as Maltese without any distinctions," he said.