The first half of the year has turned out be “scandalous” and “disastrous” for the government in spite of what Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi promised for Malta in 2007 – that it would be an “exceptional” year, the Malta Labour Party said yesterday.

In a statement, the MLP said that last month was particularly scandalous for the government, mentioning the recordings the party had released of pre-2003 election meetings which included the participation of Competitive-ness and Communications Minister Censu Galea, during which the minister was heard admitting he could not destroy the “web of abuses” at the Malta Transport Authority.

Two bribery scandals had erupted in June, said the MLP, one at the Malta Maritime Authority and the other at the Department of Social Security.

According to the statement, Mr Galea said in Parliament on 5 June that he did not know about abuses at the MMA when the authority chairman had said, on 24 May, that he had informed the minister personally.

With regard to the invalidity pension case, Health Minister Louis Deguara had said on 27 June that the official who was being investigated had been immediately dismissed, but it resulted that this same official had still regularly gone to the office even after the police had started their investigations, the MLP said.

It was also in June that it became known that last February, Urban Develop-ment and Roads Minister Jesmond Mugliett had ordered that one of his canvassers and another person should not be dismissed from the ADT, even though they had been found guilty of taking bribes. The ADT chairman and CEO had not agreed with this, the MLP said.

The month of June had also brought with it two resignations – those of the CEO of the MTA and the CEO of the ADT. Added to this, some 700 employees had lost their jobs at Bortex and VF Jeanswear, the MLP said.

The price of petrol and diesel had increased. Since Dr Gonzi had become Prime Minister, the price of diesel had increased by 58 cents per gallon, while that of unleaded fuel and LRP had risen by 45 cents per gallon.

Over the past month the government’s incompetence was also evident when the St Paul’s Bay by-pass was not opened as expected on 29 June, while it is still unclear as to when work on the Manwel Dimech Bridge will be completed.

Mater Dei Hospital was supposed to have accommodated its first patients on 1 July but last Friday’s ceremony only served to mark the completion of the construction phase of the project, the MLP said.