Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi does not have a plan to counter the price hikes that the introduction of the euro will induce, said Opposition leader Dr Alfred Sant yesterday.
Speaking at a party activity in Naxxar, Dr Sant said the Prime Minister holds that the European Commission’s go ahead to euro adoption confirms the country’s good performance.
However, during the week, said Dr Sant, the PN leaked an incomplete version of an internal opinion poll. Dr Sant claimed the report says that around 70 per cent of the Maltese do not feel that they are living any better. Dr Sant asked how can the economy be improving when 70 per cent of the population is not happy.
He also said the Malta Labour Party (MLP) understood that the euro had to be adopted once Malta became an EU member; however it disagreed with Prime Minister Gonzi over when it should be introduced.
The MLP, said Dr Sant, was in favour of joining the eurozone at a later date in order to allow the country more time for a greater boost in economic growth.
Now that the euro will be adopted on 1 January, said Dr Sant, Dr Gonzi has the duty to reveal his plans to combat inflation, create more jobs and boost competitiveness.
According to the Labour leader, Dr Gonzi’s strategy vis-à-vis inflation is to deny price hikes and say that prices are actually showing a downward trend. This ploy is being uncovered by all those Maltese who shop around and see that prices are already taking an upward trend, claimed Dr Sant. He added that the bankers’ statistics in the eurozone deny inflation upon euro adoption, yet the man in the street affirms otherwise. Dr Sant said he believes what the families state.
Dr Sant maintained that government does not have a serious plan on how to counter inflation especially in education and services for senior citizens. He said that there is a minimal representation of consumer interest in the committee overseeing the changeover.
He also quoted a Chamber of Commerce report that said that less than 20 per cent of its members have joined the FAIR initiative.
The Opposition leader called for a comprehensive plan to strengthen the country’s competitiveness in the area of self employed, and manufacturing and tourism sectors after the euro changeover. The MLP is worried that government has no such plans and reports say the country is losing its competitiveness, warned the Opposition leader.
He added that the euro is a stronger currency than the US dollar, British sterling and the Japanese yen, therefore the country’s already faltering competitiveness may be badly affected by the changeover. He said French President Nicolas Sarkozy had said in the presidential campaign that the euro was badly damaging French exports.
Dr Sant referred also to the comments passed by European People’s Party officials that claim the statistics presented by the Nationalist Government and on which the commission made its decision were faulty. The MLP leader said now that the decision has been taken, it should be complied with, however he maintained that Dr Gonzi owes an explanation to the Maltese on the EPP’s comments, given also that the PN is a member of the EPP.
Dr Sant said the MLP will suggest to local councils to present two to three proposals that need central government’s backing. He said these proposals should be put forward prior to the general election and the MLP will guarantee to back them so that their implementation would not take more than a year.
The Labour leader heavily criticised Dr Gonzi for trying to conjure a perception that the park at the North West of Malta is ready by distributing pamphlets with newspapers, when in reality it is no ready at all. He called change in plans from a golf course to a natural park a “colossal U-turn”.
He also criticised the Prime Minister for changing his mind and instead of planning a golf course in Maghtab, proposed one at Ghajn Tuffieha “because this zone was more to his liking, or maybe to the liking of someone who was advising him”. Dr Sant quoted Resources and Infrastructure Minister Ninu Zammit who said that such a proposal was crazy. However, Dr Gonzi continued on until two years later a Lm300,000 report confirmed that the golf course is not viable.
He reaffirmed his belief in the need for a golf course in Gozo and two golf courses in Malta and that they should not be incorporated within a luxury apartment complex, but rather be stand alone courses such as the one in Marsa.