The country is in a state of stagnation because it is being led by people, from the Prime Minister downwards, who are tired, have no ideas, are past their sell-by date and do not know how to deliver on promises, said Opposition Leader Alfred Sant yesterday.

Dr Sant was speaking to residents of Marsa during a Taht it-Tinda meeting themed “A Plan for a New Beginning in Marsa”. Dr Sant said that the PN government under Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi was failing abysmally in the spheres of efficiency, transparency and accountability. He added that it was no surprise at all that the people want change.

Dr Sant said that Dr Gonzi was boasting about the competence of the government, but said that people did not believe him because in the past few years, there had been cost overruns of about Lm190-200 million in various government-led projects.

He also made reference to the Manwel Dimech bridge, saying that this was supposed to be completed by the end of September, yet not even half of it has been completed so far. Dr Sant added that the people who are responsible for designing and monitoring the work have already said that they will be making claims for additional payment for work carried out.

He also mentioned the St Paul’s Bay bypass should have been completed but is still not ready. He said that years ago, a part of the road collapsed and a big name contractor who was involved never got round to fixing it.

Dr Sant said that the government spent about Lm300 million on the Mater Dei Hospital, but did not ensure that it would be fully operational on completion. In addition, he said, two months after the hospital was supposed to start admitting patients, Health Minister Louis Deguara realised that there was a lack of nurses and these are now being sought from beyond our shores. Dr Sant also pointed fingers at the ferry terminals in Gozo and Cirkewwa and said that they were now four years overdue.

Speaking about Merchants Street, Dr Sant said that after work to re-surface it began during the tourist season, the government had not procured the necessary paving materials. He said that if Dr Gonzi did not see this infolding from just a few corners away in Castille, he really should step down.

Speaking about the sewage outflow in Balluta, Dr Sant said that it was a problem that had been building up for the past few years. He pointed out how former Minister Michael Falzon, now chairman of the Water Services Corporation, had gone for a swim at the bay to show that there was “no drainage problem”.

However, he said that another outflow of sewage occurred last month and resulted in a situation where the Health Ministry and the Water Services Corporation were blaming each other for what had taken place.

Instead of intervening and sorting things out, said Dr Sant, the Prime Minister sat back and allowed for the Health Department to charge the Water Services in court.

Dr Sant said that had this happened under an MLP government, direct decisive action would have been taken.

He also accused the Prime Minister of boasting about things that he should not boast about. He also questioned the PM’s apparent willingness to push for a reshuffle in Cabinet. “The Prime Minister was scared to do it four years ago. If he is going to do it, he should just go ahead. If not, he should accept that he is happy to remain with the same tired and sorry ministers that are at his disposal,” said Dr Sant.