Opposition Leader Alfred Sant yesterday accused Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi of creating unnecessary confusion and uncertainty about when the general election will be held.

Dr Sant, who was speaking during a public dialogue meeting in Floriana, said that this uncertainty was symptomatic of a government that has lost its direction.

The opposition leader also accused Dr Gonzi of lying and “obscene manipulation”.

He referred to an interview where Dr Gonzi stated that he received emails from “members of the opposition” who congratulated him on the budget.

“However, this is another one of his lies that has been categorically rebutted by all the members of the Malta Labour Parliamentary Group,” he said.

As a result, Dr Sant said, the “Prime Minister issued a statement saying that The Sunday Times had misquoted him even though till this day the newspaper never said that it made a mistake.”

He went on to say that he prefers to believe the newspaper, even though it is not really in favour of the MLP politics, instead of believing the prime minister.

Dr Sant said that the Nationalist Party continued lying even in parliament.

“Unfortunately, Health Minister Louis Deguara had an accident and a request was made to change the day when the budget estimates for the Health Ministry had to be discussed. The Labour Party accepted this and a suggestion was made to postpone the debate to Thursday evening,” he explained.

However, he added, the Labour Party could not make it on Thursday and instead suggested another day.

“While the Nationalist Party did not accept this suggestion, it released a story saying that the MLP is cold-hearted and wanted to force Dr Deguara to attend parliament,” said Dr Sant.

The Opposition Leader wished Dr Deguara to get well soon but added that everyone condemns these lies and political manoeuvres.

He also referred to the national screening programme against breast cancer, announced by Dr Gonzi during the budget speech, when only a week before Dr Deguara stated that this could not take place.

Furthermore, he added, the day after the budget, those running the breast cancer programme also stated that this cannot take place without resources.

“The Maltese and Gozitans want a change. The Nationalists believed that this budget will impress everyone but many understood that this is an election budget – created by a government that first burdened the country with taxes and now is giving only a little back,” said Dr Sant.

He said that the prime minister does not have any answers, action plans or strategies about the problems worrying Maltese and Gozitan families – especially where the cost of living is concerned.

Dr Sant said he spoke to many families, even those with a medium income where both spouses work, that cannot keep up with quality of life they were used to.

He went on to say that the European Commission and an ambassador he spoke to recently noted that Malta does not have a system that protects the consumer while ensuring that prices correctly reflect what is going on in the market.

Even where the eurochangeover is concerned, the government is weak as all the businesses were consulted and represented yet the consumers are nowhere to be seen, said Dr Sant.

Furthermore, he added, even though the government said that prices will not go up, the truth is that there will be abuse and prices will go up.

Referring to the “secret” agreement with a number of importers not to raise the prices until March, Dr Sant said this agreement states that prices cannot go up unless there is a justified reason.

However, he added, it is very clear that the government is preparing a bomb after March when there will be a price explosion.

The MLP is interested in safeguarding families from the increased cost of living that is yet to come, he said.

“We expect those who signed the agreement not to change the prices at least until two months after the general election so the a Labour government will introduce a new administrative mechanism that will ensure that abuse does not take place,” said Dr Sant.

He went on to say that that this “fair proposal” should be accepted by all the businesses who signed the agreement with the government.

The opposition leader pointed out that there are certain items, such as cereal and milk, where there is outside pressure due to international prices but the government has be careful with its excuse.

“Certain burdens are caused by the government’s inefficiency and corruption,” he said.

Dr Sant once again declared that a Labour government will reduce the fuel surcharge by half and, as a result, improve the quality of life and economic growth.

The MLP’s vision statement is full of proposals and ideas that, after the general election, will be carefully implemented, he said.

“We will show that we are ready to make a difference as we will keep our promises,” said Dr Sant.

“A clear indication of this could be seen in the recently held, and successful, Labour Councillors Congress where Labour councillors showed their determination to continue working on the success they achieved so far,” he said.

The opposition leader spoke about several plans that the MLP has for the future – one of which is a reform in the local warden system.