The implementation of the MLP’s Grand Harbour regeneration plan will result in creation of more jobs that will in turn lead to a better quality of life, said opposition leader Alfred Sant yesterday.
Dr Sant was speaking during a public dialogue meeting in Vittoriosa yesterday to discuss the MLP’s Plan for a New Beginning.
The Opposition Leader said that the plan represents the way in which the MLP will lead the country after it wins the upcoming general election.
Dr Sant said that the biggest challenge Malta faced as an EU and eurozone member was in being able to compete against other countries. This, he said, was achievable through creating more jobs.
“In reality, it is quite clear that the people of Malta and Gozo are falling behind in the competitiveness race,” said Dr Sant.
He said that that the evidence was in the fact that people were struggling to enjoy a good quality of life and that purchasing power keeps decreasing. “Not enough jobs are being created. Under Lawrence Gonzi, the creation of new jobs has been one of the lowest within the whole of Europe,” said Dr Sant.
The Opposition Leader said that when one cut through all the illusions, Malta and Gozo had the lowest population proportion which are in fixed employment, apart from Poland. He said that the Maltese economy needed a growth rate of four to six per cent per year. “In order to reach this goal, the country needs to take a good look around to see how we can make better use of existing sectors to create more work,” said Dr Sant.
Going back to the plan for the Grand Harbour, Dr Sant said it was not put together after a couple of meetings, but by having an in-depth discussion with all stakeholders with the zone and outside in the surrounding areas. He said that the discussions showed that there were serious problems in transportation, parking, accommodation and an always ageing population.
The MLP, Dr Sant said, believed that planning alone was not enough.
“There has to be a genuine desire to succeed in what we are proposing to implement and the MLP has that desire,” he said.
He said that once in office, the MLP would set up an authority which would oversee the project implementation and make sure that 100 per cent of what is proposed is put into action by 2020.
He said that the MLP did not want to lose time in implementing projects as happened with the Mater Dei Hospital and the ferry points in Mgarr and Cirkewwa. “We mean business,” emphasised Dr Sant.
The Opposition Leader said that the MLP was also proposing to remove the tax on overtime and said that this would create more work in Malta and Gozo, because, the party believed that work created more work in return.
Speaking about cost of living increases, Dr Sant claimed the government chose to ignore the problem, adding that the PN simply chose to blame it on external factors. “This is not enough to explain the phenomenon, especially when our inflation rates are double and triple to what they are in the EU,” he said.
Dr Sant also said that the government needed to do much more to protect consumers from an inflationary explosion when the euro becomes legal tender in Malta. He said that Malta should learn from the experiences of other countries that have already been through the experience.
He said the days of price control are long gone, but said the country needed some form of mechanism that would protect against prices spiralling out of control. He said the MLP had requested an MCESD meeting in this regard, offering further proof that the MLP was setting the agenda.
Dr Sant also extended a challenge to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi to meet for a serious discussion on national television once every two or three weeks with proper guidelines that would allow for good and serious debate.
Dr Sant said that such dialogue meetings were necessary before the electoral campaign really took off. He said that in this manner, both he and Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi could speak about their vision of Malta's future.
He said such debates are conducted in a serious manner in various countries such as the US, France, Italy and Australia. “We cannot have a situation where a supposedly serious discussion is reduced to a variety show,” said Dr Sant, adding that he had nothing against such shows in general.
Speaking about former minister John Dalli's appointment to be the PM's advisor. Dr Sant said that the PN was now reducing itself to a theatre of absurdities.
“The Prime Minister promised us a new way of doing politics, but the joint press conference was nothing but old hat.”
He said the PN were desperate to remain in power and said that Mr Dalli was pushed out due to an internal power struggle and now the PN brought him back as they were clutching at straws.
He said that while there were sometimes differences of opinion within the MLP, at least it showed honesty within the party.