In his first interview in the new year and a week before the official opening of Valletta 2018, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that the lower part of Valletta will be given attention next.  

"We are now going to look at the lower part of Valletta which needs to be improved," he said, speaking on One Radio. He went on to elaborate that the school and the environment in that area need to be seen to.

"We can look towards this year with optimism," he said, "we have Valletta as a European Culture Capital, and this is a question of pride for Maltese and Gozitans, it is a national project."

 

'Benefits of  economic growth evident during Christmas time'

Earlier on in the interview, Muscat said that the Christmas season showed that most people are benefiting from economic growth.

"One could see the benefits of a strong economy in people's pockets, in the streets and shops," he said.

Muscat hailed projects such as the government guarantee on the power station project and the Vitals concession by Steward Healthcare. He added that members of the Opposition are "not letting the opposition change its course," and reiterated that the Opposition is being "negative".

He added that the government would not ignore those members of society who have not benefited enough so far.