The difference between the two major political parties is that the Labour Party has always been truthful and this will prove to be the winning factor at the next general election, said Labour leader Alfred Sant yesterday.
Speaking at an MLP activity in Mosta, Dr Sant said the Labour Party is not promising to transform the country into “heaven on earth, but it will work seriously and wisely according to a plan and a number of priorities as a basis to work upon”.
Making reference to the Labour Party’s victory at the recent local council elections, while thanking citizens for supporting MLP candidates, Dr Sant said that after years of deceptions from the Nationalist Party, people are clearly showing that they are not ready to continue accepting such untruths.
Dr Sant brought up the spring hunting and trapping issue to explain that by means of the EU Environment Commissioner’s declaration in the European Parliament this week, the EU certified that the Nationalist Party deceived citizens with regard to pre-election promises on spring hunting and trapping.
The Labour leader also spoke about Mater Dei Hospital, saying that the Labour Party had long been stating that the expenditure on the hospital would exceed Lm250 million, even though the Nationalists had insisted that this was not true.
However, during a tour around the hospital with the Texas governor’s wife this week, Tonio Fenech, the parliamentary secretary in the Finance Ministry, proudly said Lm250 million would have been spent on the new hospital, stated Dr Sant, again insisting that people will not accept lies from the PN any longer.
The opposition leader said that when the MLP is elected to government, it will work on the major problem regarding the lack of employment opportunities.
He said the rate of unemployment among young graduates is on the increase, just like the rate of illiterate young people who are unable to find a job and the rate of others who only find part-time jobs when their aim is to work on a full-time basis.
Speaking about the state of the economy, Dr Sant said the financial services sector is giving a valid contribution to the economy, but not enough new jobs are being generated.
He identified the tourism sector as one of the main economic sectors that have been given a bad blow.
Dr Sant announced that the Labour Party will be working on a plan to regenerate tourism zones like Bugibba, Qawra and St Paul’s Bay, in the coming weeks.
He stated that the Labour Party’s challenge is to win the next general election, by means of which it plans to improve the citizens’ quality of life.
The MLP will be seeking the support of all those people who provide a positive contribution to the Maltese society, in order to be able to offer the change that the country requires, said Dr Sant.
Labour deputy leaders Charles Mangion and Michael Falzon also participated in yesterday’s activity in Mosta.
Dr Mangion focused on the SmartCity project, saying the Labour Party wants the government to deliver its promises with regard to the project. He referred to the Chambray project in Gozo, for which the government had promised so much investment and generation of jobs, but today, 14 years later, nothing has yet been done about it.
Dr Falzon on the other hand, spoke about the fact that the Labour Party is glad with the support it is receiving from citizens and it will continue to demonstrate that it is a “positive party”.
Phone-ins on the PN radio were a clear demonstration that Nationalist Party supporters are unhappy with the PN government, so much so that they are appealing to ministers to be closer to them, said Dr Falzon.