In a statement issued one year after the PN electoral victory, the opposition claimed that the “new spring” the PN had promised during its electoral campaign did not materialise. Instead, the MLP said, the Maltese had to face an influx of unemployment, taxes and debt.

The MLP said despite the fact that the PN had said unemployment would become a thing of the past, around 9,000 people have been registered as being out of a job.

The MLP added that workers are being expected to make up for grave mistakes made by the government. The current situation of the Air Malta employees is the best example of this. Their working conditions are being “pecked at” and therefore the government had not kept its promise to improve working conditions.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi must answer for the “sorry state” of Malta’s finances. The MLP was always aware of this situation, despite the PN electoral billboards claiming Malta’s financial strength.

The MLP drew attention to the fact that Malta’s deficit has “exploded” from Lm78 million to Lm175 million and that the country’s debt is steadily increasing. The MLP added that the PN has tried to rectify the situation by raising taxes. This only brought about more problems because although the cost of living has increased, salaries have not.

The opposition believes that the government wasted large amounts of money in the new Mater Dei hospital. The hospital was meant to cost Lm83 million but is now costing the government Lm200 million.

The MLP concluded by predicting that over the course of the 2003-2008 legislature, Malta will face the same problems it did in previous years because Dr Gonzi’s cabinet is simply the old cabinet that has been reshuffled.