With Labour leader Alfred Sant proclaiming a cut in taxes, lower cost of living, cut in water and electricity surcharge, building new marinas and a long list of other costly promises, can he tell us how and where he will find the financing to do all this without raising, let alone lowering taxes? Does he propose to lower the cost of living by freezing wages and prices or by bulk buying like the 1980s? Or does he intend to go to the grain and oil-producing countries admonishing them to keep prices down, or else?

He quoted the Union Haddiema Maghqudin study and stated that they found price increases in food and medicine of between five and 20 per cent. What Dr Sant did not say was that these increases were investigated and yes, they were based on legitimate costs from exporters and that in only one case was an importer asked for further details since the particular increase was not clearly identifiable. These were Mr Gejtu Vella’s own words on a recent television programme. Maybe the General Workers Union should have done its own survey, which in all probability its ‘privileged’ group would have found something worth investigating.

Dr Sant is already claiming victory in the next general election, so why does he not give us details in real numbers how he can accomplish all that he promises? After all, since he is so sure about victory, telling the electorate his true plans will in no way allow the Nationalists to ‘steal’ them. As an imminent prime minister it will be up to him to implement his own plans.

Truth is that Dr Sant has no such credible plans. He come up new policies every morning hoping that some of them will acquire a handful of votes.

With regard to his ‘zero tolerance policy against corruption’, although laudable, he should be extra careful because if he is going to blame his ministers every time a civil servant makes a mistake, he may find himself firing several future ministers, reducing an otherwise five-year mandate to another 22 months.

In any case, we all sincerely hope that in the unlikely event of a victory for Dr Sant, he will not resort to deficit financing as he did by record numbers in his last short and only stance as prime minister.

Joe Martinelli

London, Ontario

Canada