While the Prime Minister sees the rising cost of living as an obstacle to joining the euro currency, the Labour Party believes that the increase in the cost of living is preventing the Maltese and Gozitans from having a decent standard of living, party leader Dr Alfred Sant said yesterday morning.

Referring to what the Prime Minister said in London last week that the cost of living was an obstacle for Malta to adopt the euro currency, Dr Sant asked: “Is that all he is interested in? The rising cost of living is an obstacle to people having a decent standard of living.”

Speaking during an activity in St Paul’s Bay, Dr Sant said that the country had one of the highest rates of inflation in the European Union and he asked what the Prime Minister was doing to find a solution. He said Dr Lawrence Gonzi was duty-bound to keep the cost of living under control.

Dr Sant spoke about the reduced availability of medicines on the market and asked the government what action it was taking in this respect.

The Opposition Leader also spoke about the proposed changes to the Criminal Code, in particular the amendment that would force a magistrate to get permission first before opening an inquiry.

Today, he said, a magistrate has the right to open an inquiry on the basis of a citizen’s request. However, the Gonzi administration wants to change that.

Dr Sant said the inquiry into the operation of the Foundation for Tomorrow’s Schools had irked the government so much that it wanted to change the law so that a magistrate would not have a free hand to order an inquiry but would need permission to do so first.

The Labour Party leader criticised the government for spending thousands of liri on consultancies so that “friends of friends” could enjoy a better lifestyle than others.

Turning to the sale of the government’s stake in Maltacom, Dr Sant said the government had sold its share for much less than the real market value. He brought up the issue of land owned by Maltacom that had been sold without a resolution from parliament, with Industry, Investment and IT Minister Austin Gatt coming in for some harsh criticism.

Dr Sant said the sale of 60 per cent of Maltacom to Tecom Investments had totally ignored the interests of the workers. He said the Nationalists had boasted that until 2009, not one employee would be made redundant.

“A Labour government will oppose any redundancies,” Dr Sant said.

Referring to the changes to the development boundaries announced by the government, Dr Sant alleged that the Cabinet of Ministers was serving as a “smokescreen” for the owners of the land included in the revision. He insisted that he would continue to speak on this matter, no matter how many libel cases were filed against him.

Concluding, Dr Sant said the public wanted a change and the Labour Party was ready to bring about that change. The party had drawn up various plans to address what needed to be done, he said, but without promising miracles. He spoke about the party’s meetings in Gozo last week and insisted that the island would not be used as a political gimmick, as the PN was doing.

Dr Sant said that Gozo had a lot of potential, but a small group of arrogant, incompetent people without a vision had allowed the island to fall behind.

Deputy leader Michael Falzon said the government was “dangerous, anti-democratic and arrogant”. He criticised the government for attacking various institutions like Parliament, the jury system, the ombudsman and the powers of the magistrates. Dr Falzon also spoke at length on the party’s draft plan for the education sector, for industry and on social accommodation.

The Labour Party’s spokesman for public works Charles Buhagiar said the government had not waited until the Local Plan had been finalised but decided what zones should be developed or not. He said the government had established guidelines but at the same time created even more anomalies.