Speaking on Super One Radio yesterday, Malta Labour Party leader Alfred Sant said that many of the MLP's plans for the country's education, industry and health sectors are now in their final versions.

He also pledged a model of participatory leadership that would mobilise and pool the resources of the country's "forces of good-will".

The MLP, Dr Sant said, has been working hard over the past months on its plans for the country in terms of education, industry, health and Gozo. The plans, he said have been the subject of long discussions within the party's structures and many of the plans are now in their final version.

He added that, from discussions during consultation meetings where the plans are being hammered out in detail, it was evident that the governing party had become disconnected from the populace.

From the meetings, Dr Sant said it transpires that those working in the areas of health, industry and education were not aware of developments taking place within their respective sectors or how things ought to be done.

The government's actions in the extension of development zones also came in for Dr Sant's scorn, when he declared that the proposals had been rushed through so as to accommodate a particular group of people.

In addition to the MLP's vision for education, industry, health and Gozo, Dr Sant said the party would be publishing its plans for the areas of the elderly, women, youth, family and working conditions by January.

As regards its plans, Dr Sant said the MLP will be setting out priorities and benchmarks with a view to ensuring the proposals are realised.

Turning to the thorny issue of pension reform, Dr Sant labelled the government's proposals as being aimed solely at bolstering the government's coffers, adding that the government is looking to raise the retirement age while at the same time reducing the time frame in which pensions are paid out. He also pointed out that the government has no mandate to implement pension reform since the issue had not been included in the Nationalist party's electoral manifesto.

Speaking about the developing crisis in the Middle East, Dr Sant called on the European Union and the rest of the international community to take action lest the current state of affairs escalates to all out war.