The PN said today that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat was failing to honour his promise of reducing poverty. It referred to a report published by the European Commission last week, which warned that the number of people at risk of poverty in Malta was much higher than in many other EU countries. Local statistics show that around 100,000 – almost one out of four people in Malta - are at risk of poverty.

Addressing a press conference this afternoon, Shadow Minister for Social Policy Paula Mifsud Bonnici said the PL electoral manifesto had noted in 2013 that some 88,000 were at risk of poverty at the time. That number increased after Joseph Muscat became Prime Minister. In his first year as PM Malta experienced the second highest increase in people at risk of poverty in the EU. This showed the need for an economy for everyone and not for the few, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said.

She said the PN’s document ‘Ekonomija għan-Nies,’ published last week, included many concrete proposals on the subject.

The PN’s spokesman on the Fight against Poverty, Stephen Spiteri, hoped that Dr Muscat would address this problem in a serious manner, instead of being hard headed and saying that the statistics were flawed or negative. “Instead of addressing the issues Dr Muscat usually resorts to attacks on those who draw his attention to these problems.”

Dr Spiteri said the government’s own consultant of poverty, PL Deputy Leader Toni Abela, was doing very well earning some €70,000 a year from government consultancies. This also applied to a select few, including the Gaffarenas and the owners of Café Prermier.

The Opposition spokesman on Disability and Aging, Robert Cutajar said the number of elderly persons at risk of poverty had increased by 2,500 since Joseph Muscat became Prime Minister.

Dr Muscat had promised to “eradicate” poverty but this turned out to be bluff. The truth, Mr Cutajar said, was that not economic growth was not reaching everyone.