Malta Labour Party deputy leader for parliamentary affairs Charles Mangion yesterday said that a new Labour government would be typified by work ethic and the shouldering of responsibilities.
Speaking on the second day of the MLP general conference yesterday, Dr Mangion said that the MLP was not a party that was prepared to remain an opposition party, but that it was ready to work and had plans for the future.
Nothing, he said, demonstrated this more amply than the production of five specific documents that the party is currently approving during the said conference.
He said that these plans bind Labour's past and its values to its ideas for the future. “The Malta Labour Party wants to help all sectors of society. The Maltese people need comfort and they need solidarity and relief from the ever increasing burden of the rise in inflation,” said Dr Mangion.
He said that the government was trying to spread the feel-good factor by saying that the economy is performing well. “I don’t know what land they live in, but I speak to people I meet and they tell me that they cannot afford the way life is going, in relation to healthcare, food, education and other basic necessities,” he said.
Half-jokingly, he said that some people are even afraid to open their letterboxes because they are afraid of what they might find.
Dr Mangion said that there are various problems that plague the country including deteriorating health care and ever increasing delays in waiting lists for surgery and consultancy.
He also pointed the finger at the government over the lack of jobs and opportunities in Malta. “How can we have statistics saying that between June 2005 and 2006, 73 new full time jobs were created and then between July and 21 September of 2006 say that more than 4,000 full time jobs were created?” he asked.
He said that when the MLP heard this, they asked for an explanation from the relevant authority and were then criticised by the government for attacking people personally.
“I am proud to say that I have always been a Labour supporter and I will be so till my dying days. With all its defects, the Malta Labour Party strives to help those who cannot help themselves,” he said.
He said that some people needed help. “We do not mean that we want people to live off charity, but we want to help people move forward. Those that can should contribute to the effort to help others,” said Dr Mangion.
Dr Mangion accused the government of being detached from the people. “The Malta Labour Party wants to leave this country in a better state than it finds it, that is our duty and we must do that for the next generation and the generation after. We want to leave a heritage to the country based on an all-inclusive education,” he said.
Dr Mangion said that one of the MLP's priorities was to re-train or train those people who have either fallen by the wayside or never joined mainstream work by offering training through the Employment and Training Corporation.
“Our infrastructure is a mess, our environment is in a disastrous state, we need change and the country needs the Malta Labour Party in government,” he said.
Speaking about the new Mater Dei Hospital, he said that no one from the government had committed themselves by certifying that treatment will still be free.
“It's a year of choices. And change can only be brought about by this serious and responsible party,” he said.
Other speakers of note yesterday included MPs Gavin Gulia, Edward Zammit Lewis and Justyne Caruana as well as MEP John Attard Montalto. The conference approved the labour plans for youth and equality. The general conference draws to a close tomorrow.