Speaking at a party activity in the MLP Msida club, Dr Sant reiterated his argument that the Nationalist government is trying to manipulate public opinion on the issue. Despite the attempt to create confusion over the matter, the facts remain clear regarding the investment made in Brindisi, he said. The government is guarantor for a short-term loan of Lm4 million, which was loaned to it by Bank of Valletta in August through MIMCOL.

Contrary to what Dr Gatt had alleged, he (Dr Sant) had never said that in August the government had bought shares in the Brindisi port. The transaction made by the government to secure the short-term loan that will expire in December is an investment, he insisted. “Journalists such as the editor of the Malta Independent on Sunday, who did not understand this fact, need to revise their reasoning,” he said.“The manipulation practice is across the board,” he said. “Now we know that the Malta Freeport, previously proposed as a jewel of PN’s administration, was actually crumbling down under the pressure of mismanagement.”

Speaking of the Mater Dei hospital, he said that although the Prime Minister had claimed victory on the issue, the Maltese people have not yet been given any information. “Nobody knows what the government set out to achieve in its negotiations; therefore, unless this is made clear, the government can claim anything as a victory. We will have to wait and see what details Dr Gonzi will give in parliament tomorrow (today).”

The resignation of BOV chairman Joseph FX Zahra is being sold by PN media as a reaction to the leak of information regarding the Brindisi issue, which, in any case never happened, he said. It seems that the truth is that the resignation is a protest against the way the government is planning to privatise the bank, he said.

The government intends to follow the same strategy of the Mid Med Bank sale and sell its BOV shares to a strategic partner. This would be a grave mistake, Dr Sant stressed, in that it would mean that over 90 per cent of the Maltese banking sector will be owned by foreigners. HSBC’s presence in Malta showed that having a strategic partner did not bring the country any special benefits. On the contrary, he said, the company’s profits are going abroad instead of remaining in the local economy.

The government should not persist in a direction that has been proven to be a faulty one, he said, insisting that the shares should be sold to the Maltese public. Apart from other benefits, this will ensure that the company’s profits remain in Malta, he added.

Speaking of the economy, Dr Sant accused the government of persisting in a path that is not making any practical progress. Despite growing uncertainty among the people over unemployment and the state of the economy, the government still does not have a clear plan for economic development. The government has to take the bull by the horns and acknowledge reality, he insisted.

In this respect, he pointed out that the opposition presented a motion in parliament calling upon the government to draft a clear economic strategy. The party is doing its part, he said, recalling the report which it had published in the Summer to outline its plans for economic growth. The document is now being discussed with the stakeholders, he said, adding that the parliamentary motion was presented anyway because the party felt there was no time to be wasted.

There is a general stagnation of the economy, he said, adding that despite empty talk of regenerating the Cottonera area, nothing has happened in practice. Tourism is following the same pattern. Amid talk of a reform at the Malta Tourism Authority, an increasing number of hotels, especially in the North, are closing down or being turned into luxury apartments and homes for the elderly.

The same applies to the Malta Enterprise, he said. Despite claims that the fusion of the MDC, IPSE and Metco into the new setup would facilitate investment, the reality gives another picture, he said. The government needs to recognise the truth and start working to ensure the future of the Maltese economy without dismantling the achievements made so far in the social sector.

Somewhat uncharacteristically for his speeches at party clubs, Dr Sant also commented on the recent US elections. He said that the elections have given President George W. Bush an unequivocal victory, which, he added, he should use to usher a worldwide coalition that on the one hand fights terrorism but on the other treats, what he called, the root cause of terrorism … the injustice suffered among some peoples.

At this point, Dr Sant pledged the party’s solidarity towards the Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat, stressing that the injustice suffered by the Palestinian people has to be tackled. Malta should be frank in its relationship with other countries, he said.

It is clear that one of the reasons for the increase of international oil prices is the constant threat of a war. “We do not agree with so called pre-emptive war,” he emphasised. The failure of this tactic has been proven in Iraq.

Concluding, Dr Sant spoke of the EU constitution treaty, saying that although the party still had to discuss the document, which it will do shortly, it believed that the discussion over this important document should not be rushed. The party’s decision will surely follow the position it had taken in November, Dr Sant said.

However, he emphasised, Malta should exploit the two years given for the ratification of the document as an opportunity for Maltese people to discuss and go over such a document properly.