Dr Vassallo continued: “This complete lack of foresight is irresponsible and unacceptable. Our country can no longer afford to be governed by means of belated emergency measures which are socially unjust and economically damaging.”

The AD chairman said it was about time that government realised that depending entirely on oil as an energy source does not only damage our environment and our health but also exposes Malta to serious economic burdens which have heavy repercussions on our families, economy and jobs.

“We therefore once again call on the government to act responsibly by reducing the exposure Malta has vis a vis escalating international oil prices by launching and implementing a serious national energy plan. This plan should follow the examples of other countries including Cyprus, Israel, Germany and Denmark who have already invested heavily in renewable energy sources,” he said.

Such energy sources are not only clean and healthy but also have the added advantage of being completely independent of international oil prices, said Dr Vassallo.

“The government should immediately implement an energy conservation plan which promotes the rational use of our limited resources. Unfortunately, the government is not doing this. For example, it is inconceivable how the so-called ‘Eco-tax’ punishes people for buying energy-efficient household appliances just as heavily as it taxes people buying inefficient ones,” he said.

“The reluctance to instal solar water heaters on government buildings and the insistence on procuring inefficient, high-consumption light bulbs instead of much more efficient low-consumption ones, are two small examples which show the level of awareness the government has on energy rationalisation”, Dr Vassallo concluded.

Alternattiva Demokratika’s spokesman for the Economy Edward Fenech called on government to ensure that any necessary energy and utility price increases are planned out intelligently and responsibly.

“Alternattiva recognises that energy rates will have to increase because of the high international price of oil and because of the government’s failure to formulate a responsible national energy plan.

“However, it is very important that these price increases are socially just and do not damage our fragile economy. We propose that most of the load should be on the price of petrol and diesel rather than on the price of domestic electricity or water. This would give people the opportunity to take responsible decisions such as choosing energy efficient cars over inefficient ones or using public transport whenever possible,” he said.

Mr Fenech concluded: “We also strongly insist that any increases in water and electricity should not involve households who consume moderate amounts of water and electricity but should only involve people on the high-end of the consumption range. This would ensure that the measures are socially just and would promote a responsible use of energy”.