The Nationalist Party (PN) Parliamentary Group yesterday approved Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi’s suggestion to reopen discussions in parliament on party funding as per the Galdes report drafted 12 years ago.

This was revealed yesterday evening by the Prime Minister himself, who was hosting a dialogue meeting themed More Work, Better Work at the Granaries, Floriana as part of the Independence celebrations held by the PN.

The Prime Minister said that next week he will be writing to the opposition about his intention to reopen discussions. His suggestion was also given the Cabinet’s go-ahead on Monday.

Dr Gonzi said the PN regularly publishes its companies’ accounts and gives a thorough breakdown of how it receives funds during its marathon funding campaigns and how the money is spent.

He criticised the Malta Labour Party for “hiding” its companies’ accounts. “They prefer to incur a yearly Lm25 penalty for failing to publish their accounts rather than publishing them in the first place,” the Prime Minister said.

Dr Gonzi told his party supporters that the PN thrives on their enthusiasm and their generosity, to which he was cheered, thus receiving a sample of their enthusiasm. He was treated to more gusto as he reminded those present about the General Workers’ Union’s Issa Daqshekk campaign. Dr Gonzi said that not only was he not “rocked”, as GWU secretary-general Tony Zarb had predicted, but that through careful planning, the country was making a success out of each and every sector. He also referred to his first speech as PN leader and his leitmotif that people should base their judgment on actions not words.

The Prime Minister referred to the privatisation of Sea Malta and accused the GWU of putting “spokes in the wheels”. He stated that the PN governs in the best interest of all the Maltese, regardless of their political creed.

Dr Gonzi reminded his listeners that out of the three budgets he presented in parliament, the first one put some burden on the Maltese, the second one did not introduce new taxes, while the last one lowered the income tax bands.

The Prime Minister also criticised the MLP-leaning media for not sending their representatives to Dubai for the official unveiling of the SmartCity project. He also criticised MLP leader Alfred Sant for missing out on the true meaning of the project when, he said, Dr Sant stated that SmartCity will just be a case of land speculation by foreigners. “This means,” said Dr Gonzi, “that had Dr Sant been Prime minister at the time, he would have refused the project and the prospective 5,600 jobs it will create.”

Dr Gonzi concluded his speech by confirming his party’s intention to invest heavily in education to guarantee the best for Maltese citizens.

Education featured heavily in Investment, Industry and IT Minister Austin Gatt’s speech as he insisted that the more the country invests in education, the more it will improve. Minister Gatt gave an account of what he learnt in Dubai – that everything can be achieved if you seek it through good management and thrive to excel in what you are doing. He said that the Maltese should learn these concepts as “we are as good as anyone else in the world”.

Dr Gatt recounted how his ministry conducted cost-cutting exercises, carried out reform in various corporations that fall within its remit and how it is now saving the country’s coffers around Lm35 million a year.

Parliamentary Secretary Tonio Fenech criticised the MLP’s proposals for young couples who are acquiring their first house. He said the MLP will not be giving out grants, but rather, it will be giving money to these couples and expect a full repayment plus interest. Mr Fenech spoke extensively about how the rise in prices in certain basic goods is taking place because of international factors rather than because of the euro adoption and hinted that the government will take measures to mitigate such price changes in the forthcoming budget.