Labour MP Evarist Bartolo said yesterday that the PN has launched a campaign against him, particularly because he has been closely following the Delimara Power Station project, but he insisted that despite the intimidation and attacks he is being faced with, he will continue to reveal facts about the power station and other issues.

Speaking in parliament, Mr Bartolo said he has been receiving a number of letters full of lies.

“The only thing that hurt me was a mention of my mother, who passed away seven years ago; but this intimidation will not stop me,” said Mr Bartolo.

Referring to the Delimara power station extension, he pointed out that every company engaged in the project has been involved in a bribery/corruption case of some sort.

He went on to say that the new plant at Delimara will generate large amounts of both solid and liquid waste.

Mr Bartolo said corruption is still rife in Malta, and he mentioned a list, known in the PN as the “JS list”, which includes a list of contractors (including those who win public contracts) that provide financial contributions to the party.

The Labour MP then spoke about the education sector, saying that only 60 per cent of teenagers further their studies, and as a result a large number of unemployed people are those in the 15-24 age group.

There is a strong link between lack of education and poverty, said Mr Bartolo, and the government hasn’t got a suitable plan to deal with this.

On the Malta College for Art, Science and Technology (MCAST), he said students have to pay for BTEC exams to complete their courses.

“Students who sit for first diploma, national diploma and higher national diploma exams have to pay e1,008.

“At the same time, all undergraduate courses and exams at the University of Malta are free of charge,” he said, going on to point out that statistics show that generally, university students’ families have a higher income than MCAST students’ families.

The country needs a proper plan to ensure that while the number of teenagers who continue studying increases, those who do continue studying, do so in a more relevant way, said Mr Bartolo.

He said that surely one of the things that can help is the eLearning project, for which the government has allocated a e16 million budget.

What is worrying is that this project, which is an educational project, is not led by the Education Ministry, but by the Infrastructure, Transport and Communications Ministry, said the Labour MP.

Teachers, the teachers’ union, students, parents and other stakeholders in the education sector need to be involved in this project; otherwise, it will fail, because it is not a technological project.

“Students, not the technology that is being used, have to be at the centre of the project, because really we’re talking about the design of different methods of education in the information technology framework.”

Another speaker who participated in yesterday’s parliamentary debate was parliamentary secretary for revenues and land Jason Azzopardi, who said that the Opposition has been failing to acknowledge that Malta, like other countries, has been going through a recession and is facing a lot of competition.

He said however, that despite the recession, Malta has been doing well compared to other countries; he pointed out that according to the World Economic Forum, Malta’s banking system is one of the strongest in the world.

“This year will be a turning point with several measures and initiatives aimed at generating employment opportunities, reducing bureaucracy and improving people’s quality of life.”

He said Malta is close to signing a double taxation agreement with Hong Kong, which has been registering phenomenal economic growth, and pointed out that Malta was the only country with which China registered an increase in trade last year.

Dr Azzopardi also mentioned the radical reform in the Lands Department, which will involve digitalisation of the whole system; details of the project are expected to be announced in the coming months, and the parliamentary secretary said it will bring about a big improvement in accountability and transparency.