The Malta Labour Party is ‘dangerous’ and it cannot be trusted now that it is in opposition, let alone if it is given the chance to be elected to power, said Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday.

Speaking on the Nationalist Party’s radio station Radio 101, the prime minister referred particularly to Opposition Leader Alfred Sant and Labour deputy leader Charles Mangion, who, according to Dr Gonzi, “have a strong craving for power”.

PM Gonzi said that in a similar fashion to the tactic they used before the 1996 general election, when they were elected to power, the Labour Party is trying to win over people’s sympathy by trying to twist the truth.

“The Labour Party is eating away at our society’s morals and the true value of truth,” said Dr Gonzi, adding that ever since it was elected to government, the current administration promised that it would not tolerate abusers of the public administration system.

Replying to questions by Luqa PN councillor Frank Psaila, Dr Gonzi referred to politics as a service for the future of our children and grandchildren.

“The Nationalist Party believes in education. It is one of the main pillars of our efforts and we have always managed to obtain positive results.

“Now, our main challenge is that of providing more graduates in sectors where many job opportunities are being created – pharmaceutics, information technology (IT), aeronautical engineering and even specialised tourism sectors like diving,” he said.

The SmartCity development will generate a “torrent” of employment opportunities in the IT sector, he said adding that the Nationalist Party’s words transformed into actions have come in the form of EUR855 million (Lm367 million) in EU funds.

Dr Gonzi said that on Wednesday, he will be announcing the projects that will be carried out by means of these funds.

Asked about the reasons why people should look forward to the introduction of the euro, Dr Gonzi said the changeover from the Maltese lira to the single European currency meant that the country would be made more attractive to investment.

This, in turn, will generate more and better employment opportunities and therefore a better quality of life, he said, adding that businesses will also be more competitive, because they will avoid all charges that were previously associated with transactions made while trading with other European countries.

“We have managed to reach our targets, even if there were many people who tried to hinder progress in this regard. The opposition is incompetent, lacking the capability to lead the country in the right direction,” he said.

Referring to positive ratings from two independent credit ratings agencies – Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s – Dr Gonzi said every positive certificate that the country receives is a good sign for foreign investors.

The EU itself has also positively rated Malta’s economy and finances. Such ratings are a good sign for citizens’ future, but even these ratings were not enough to please the opposition.

He said parliamentary secretary in the Finance Ministry Tonio Fenech will be visiting Paris this week to preside over the beginning of the administrative process that will lead to the minting of Maltese euro coins and notes.

Asked about the chain of investments in the local health sector, Dr Gonzi said these will lead to the government’s vision to make Malta a centre of excellence in the health sector in the whole of the Mediterranean and Europe by 2015.

The prime minister said the opposition has been trying to find the least of excuses to put Mater Dei Hospital in a bad light, but the 80,000 people who visited the new hospital during the open weekend, can understand that the MLP’s excuses are all a matter of lies.

“The Labour Party has tried to make us stumble, but we managed to end negotiations with Skanska successfully,” he said.

He referred to other projects that are intended to make the country a centre of excellence in the health sector. Services that are currently offered at Zammit Clapp Hospital, which is a centre of rehabilitation for elderly people, will be offered at a new centre that will be four times the size of the current 50 to 60-bed hospital.

Moreover, by means of EU funding, Boffa Hospital will be relocated to the area currently occupied by Zammit Clapp and it will be transformed into a specialised oncology hospital.

Unsurprisingly, Dr Gonzi dedicated a good part of his radio broadcast to the cases of corruption that have grabbed media attention over the past few weeks.

He said he could not understand why the Labour Party continued trying to gain political advantage of the case involving two former employees at the Malta Transport Authority (ADT).

Dr Gonzi said the law that is currently in the process of being approved in Parliament is intended to protect those who reveal cases of abuse and corruption.

“What we are saying is that whoever the person may be, he or she will be protected. With regard to the ADT case, the suspects were investigated and arraigned. Nobody tried interrupting the legal process. Rather, this government wants to ensure that the value of genuineness is strengthened,” he said.

Referring to the decision for them to be discharged or otherwise, Dr Gonzi said that Minister Jesmond Mugliett only intervened with regard to the presidential pardon decision.

“I received a letter signed by the ADT chairman and the whole board. This explains what happens one step after another and they claim that Minister Mugliett always did the right thing.

“He simply requested that ADT postpone the decision to discharge the two people who were found guilty until a decision was taken whether or not they would be granted presidential pardon. They were not and they were duly sacked.”