The MLP wants to work towards the creation of a caring community that would in turn improve our quality of life, “because we care”, Labour leader Alfred Sant told a crowd of supporters gathered for a political activity in Misrah il-Paci, Pembroke yesterday evening.
Dr Sant said the MLP was putting forward a variety of proposals, fiscal or otherwise, that are aimed at improving people’s social, cultural and spiritual life, and providing support wherever it is needed.
“We do not only want to improve people’s economic and financial situation, but we also want to strengthen structures that would contribute towards this caring community we want to create.
“We plan to work towards a system by means of which elderly people would be “adopted” so to speak and we want to be able to have not only day centres for the elderly, but also night centres,” said the Labour leader.
Like speakers who spoke before he did yesterday evening, Dr Sant mentioned the MLP’s proposal to assist first-time property buyers by means of e17,000.
He also mentioned the party’s proposals to remove income tax on overtime and cut the surcharge on utility bills by half.
The Labour leader said it was not true that there was no VAT on education as the PN had tried to suggest.
“We will provide VAT refunds for purchases of uniforms, textbooks, computers and peripherals. And we will also provide financial assistance to schools,” he said.
He said the Labour Party’s extensive consultation before drafting its plan for the family has shown that new realities need to be addressed. Almost 20 per cent of births are now occurring outside marriage, for example, he said.
It is for this reason that the Labour Party wants to provide assistance to every form of family, said Dr Sant, adding that the education sector will be given utmost priority under a new Labour government. “We will spend as much as needs be in education and training,” said the Labour leader.
He said a new Labour government plans to build a new sixth form in the northern part of the island and provide the Malta College for Arts Science and Technology with more resources, so that it would be able to cater for young people who would like to train themselves in certain trades.
In his concluding remarks, Dr Sant criticised Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi for having waited so long to say the Malta Environment and Planning Authority would not be in the hands of Rural Affairs and the Environment Minister George Pullicino.
“It was clear that there have long been problems in the authority. Now (PM) Gonzi is saying he wants to reshuffle the cabinet of ministers, but in reality he also needs to be replaced,” Dr Sant told the cheering crowd.