Speaking in Fgura, Dr Sant said the government was hiding these plans until after the 12 June European Parliament election.
He added that the government had reduced the Malta Tourism Authority funds by Lm0.5 million, the same amount of money spent on Malta’s European Union accession celebrations. He reported that Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi had claimed that this had been done after consultation with tourism organisations, but they all denied this.
Dr Sant said Dr Gonzi had also said that all 240 employees at VF had been reinstated. But a General Workers’ Union statement revealed that only 20 workers had been given their job back to balance the production line.
“Why is the prime minister taking the Maltese and Gozitans for a ride?” Dr Sant asked.
He said there had been a lot of propaganda about price reductions for pasta, wine and canned tomatoes. What was not said, he added, was that a number of people working in local pasta factories and wine-making companies had lost their jobs.The MLP knew that after Malta’s EU accession some prices would go up while others would go down. That is why the MLP requested a price watch office to explain the situation. The government, however, did not accept this call.
Dr Sant said the MLP had put the Gozo Channel Company on a sound foundation, but over the past years the company had fallen into the red. After the raise in tariffs, the prime minister said the price increase was as much as a cup of coffee. This is not the way to treat people, he said.
There is no serious plan to run the drydocks. The government is blaming the workers, as it is doing at the Enemalta Corporation and the Employment and Training Corporation.
Dr Sant said that in the current scenario, with so many people afraid of the future, the MLP was offering a message of hope. The government led by Dr Gonzi is moving on the same lines as that led by his predecessor, Eddie Fenech Adami.
On the other hand, the MLP will continue to focus on areas in which Maltese and Gozitans families have an interest. Over the past week, the MLP has concentrated on the environment. Dr Sant recalled that the MLP had told the government to keep Maghtab open for some more time to be able to prepare itself better for an engineered landfill and introduce waste separation at source.
Towards the end of his address, Dr Sant said the 12 June EP election had nothing to do with Malta’s EU membership or otherwise, but with was the most capable of representing the Maltese people where important decisions are being taken. By not going to vote, one would be favouring the PN, he said.
He added that the party will be holding a mass meeting in Mosta on Sunday.