It is true that many people are fed up with the present state of things, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi admitted yesterday, but he still hopes that those who are angry, even those who have been hit by any of his government’s decisions, will later on come to see the results of the government’s decisions for the good of the people.

Government is working hard to improve the quality of life of Maltese citizens, he said.

Speaking on Radio 101, Dr Gonzi praised the unanimous vote in Parliament regarding the EU’s Constitutional Treaty and said this would help attract foreign investment to Malta.

As regards pension reform, he said that now that the government has received reactions to its document, the whole issue will be discussed by Cabinet over the coming weeks, after which a final draft will be published. The government’s aim is to publish a draft bill by the end of the year. There must be no delay, he said, as those who are under 45 today want to ensure that they will have a sustainable pension by the time they get to it.

On the subject of the increase in the oil price, Dr Gonzi said there are some who say this may even go up to $90 a barrel. Government has introduced a 17 per cent surcharge and Enemalta is working hard to become more efficient and cut down on its expenditure.

The help schemes introduced in the last Budget Speech regarding alternative energy from the sun may be revised if the oil price keeps going up. As regards wind energy, it does not seem that wind farms can be set up in Malta because of the smallness of the island, but studies are being conducted on whether they can be located at sea.

Regarding rent reform, Dr Gonzi reminded his listeners that it was a Nationalist administration that had changed the rent laws in 1995 after which new property was not bound by the previous laws.

We are now nearing the second phase of the reform, he said, which relates to buildings rented out before 1995 where people may be living in the properties. There are abuses here, he said, such as when people living in hired properties pass them on to their relatives. Another issue is the very low rent some owners receive while they are still held responsible for any damage sustained by their properties.

Dr Gonzi explained that government intends that nobody will end up on the street because of the reform and said that a balance must be found between the rights of the owners and the rights of the people living in rented accommodation. The government’s proposals should appear before Cabinet in the coming weeks.

Dr Gonzi even revealed that yet another court protest has once again impeded the assignment of a tender for the hospital chimney and complained that things cannot be allowed to go this far. Concluding, he told his listeners he is not taking his holiday as yet, as he has so much more to do. The time for a short holiday will come later, he said.