The Malta’s Labour Party’s mud-slinging campaign against anyone who uncovers any suspicion of corruption or wrongdoing is unfair, worrying and “disgusting”, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.
Speaking on Radio 101 yesterday morning, Dr Gonzi said the country deserves much better that a tactic of raising doubts in the country’s administration just because the people involved would have done what they are duty-bound to do: refer any suspicions to the police to investigate the matter.
Taking the cue from what was mentioned by a supporter in a phone-in, Dr Gonzi spoke about Labour leader Alfred Sant’s speech in parliament when European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso visited Malta.
He said Mr Barroso’s visit should have been taken as an opportunity to highlight Malta’s plea for more help and assistance from other EU member states with regard to the plight of irregular migration. Instead, Dr Gonzi said, Dr Sant’s speech was riddled with his party’s contribution on a national level and how his party was going to win the next general election.
To this, Dr Gonzi added a reference to the Public Administration Bill saying this was an added tool which will increase the accountability of people in office.
The Prime Minister also spoke about his government’s vision for the country and how it would like to see the country by 2015. He said these plans are “achievable” because “the government believes in the capabilities of its people.”
He said that by 2015, the government wants to see Malta as a European centre of excellence in the field of information and communication technology. He said Malta was already considered to be among the best in this field adding that with SmartCity, Malta can improve its ranking and become the European hub of ICT.
Similarly, in the financial services sector, Malta already has a good reputation and has the potential to establish itself as the best provider of this service in Europe.
Dr Gonzi said the government has set these ambitious targets because this is what Malta’s future will depend on. Moreover, he said this plan is not the government or the Nationalist Party’s but it the country’s plan and therefore was open for people to contribute.
Referring to the inauguration of the new Mater Dei Hospital, due to take place on Friday, Dr Gonzi said he is satisfied that the government, through the contractors, managed to reach this target date.
“This hospital will be offering the best service possible. On 1 July, people working at St Luke’s Hospital will show everyone how our health service, classified as the fifth best in the world, will continue to improve. We want to give the country the best and the health sector is not an exception,” he said.
In his interventions, the Prime Minister also made reference to the shocking news related to lay-offs with the announced closure of VF Jeans and Textile Company and the laying off of a substantial number of Bortex employees.
“This is a tragedy, not only for the employees who have been affected by the decision of these two large textile companies, but also for the government. The Employment and Training Corporation is presently identifying the skills of these workers so that they can be re-trained. We already have schemes in place and we will be trying to use the European Union’s Globalisation Fund which was set up in 2005 for member states to use in the case where companies to shift operations. The government is looking into the matter to see if Malta qualifies for this fund and Malta is expected to submit a formal application to use these funds,” Dr Gonzi announced.
He continued with a word of encouragement for those who have been made redundant. “I appeal to these employees to be courageous and not give up. The latest NSO figures show that at present, Malta has the lowest figure in terms of people registering for employment since 1995. This is not a political issue; this is a reality that the country has to face and Malta in the past has always managed to cope with these pressures,” he said.
He said the issue should not be politicised but said that the Nationalist Party has a record of creating employment opportunities.
Prime Minister Gonzi also spoke about the European Union summit in Brussels late last week, which he described as a very important summit because the EU was at the crossroads. He said the EU had to find a solution and change some rules so that it could continue building upon its history of success.
“We agreed on a reform but the EU Constitutional Treaty was shelved for the time being. We agreed on the Reform Treaty and this will come into effect in 2017. The Reform Treaty is very positive for the EU. An intergovernmental conference will be convened in July and the treaty will be approved by the prime ministers of all countries. Then this treaty will be brought before the Maltese parliament for approval. By mid-2008, the treaty would have been ratified by all EU member states,” he explained.