Heads of delegation of the Party of European Socialists will meet in Malta this week during the Malta Labour Party (MLP) annual general conference, announced MLP acting leader Charles Mangion.

Speaking also at a party activity in Zejtun, party affairs deputy leader Michael Falzon said that UK Secretary of State for Health Alan Johnson will address the conference.

In his address, Dr Mangion said the MLP was very happy with the news that GO was investing in a new submarine cable which will enhance the country’s bandwidth capacity.

He said he did not like at all Industry, Investments and IT Minister Austin Gatt’s boasting about the Maltacom privatisation and reminded the party supporters that PN governments has privatised successful companies which were set up by MLP governments of the 1970s.

He also criticised the minister for not attracting the foreign investment he had promised to make good for the denim factory which closed down.

Dr Mangion asked the minister to reclaim a piece of government land worth e34.9m (Lm15m) which is administered by GO.

Dr Mangion reiterated the need for a new government with fresh ideas as he said the government lacked them.

The Labour acting leader also fired a broadside at Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi. Recalling Dr Gonzi’s first speech as PN leader, he said that the prime minister should be judged by his actions, which included an increase in taxation while public deficit reached e3,500million, with interest repayments at e200million.

According to Dr Mangion, the Maltese had to pay e116.47million (Lm50million) more in taxation per year between 2004 and 2006, after that the government had claimed that its finances were on a solid footing.

Referring to a parliamentary question he himself had put, Dr Mangion said the government did not invest the e250 million received from the EU in any new projects, while the Floriana and Gzira health centres were reducing their opening hours, thus putting more pressure on Mater Dei Hospital’s resources.

He recounted how he met a young doctor who was dead tired after working for 60 hours in three days. He said the government did not undertake preventive measures in order to counter any personnel shortages during the construction of the hospital that took 16 years to complete. The government is now resorting to crisis management and saying that it needs new nurses, now that the hospital was running, said Dr Mangion.

The MLP acting leader held that the government was not providing good quality of life to the Maltese. He said that families were worried about the future of their children.

To this end, he called for more investment in education, especially in the primary sector, which he said was the foundation of the other stages of education.

Dr Mangion said it was unacceptable that 42 per cent of young people leave the educational system in a state of near illiteracy. Such investment is needed, as there is a consensus that Malta’s best resource is the human resource, he said. However, he also turned to parents and asked them to do their part and push their children to achieve in education.

The Labour acting leader stressed on the need for the country to concentrate on providing maritime services and to tackle the lack of technically skilled people. To this end, he said, an MLP government would open technical schools.

Dr Mangion interpreted the news that the National Euro Changeover Committee (NECC) will become a consumer affairs agency was a signal of no-confidence towards the Consumer Affairs Department which falls within the Communications and Competitiveness Ministry.

The Labour acting leader said that the MLP wanted the price stability agreement reached between the government and importers to be extended to two months after the general election.

He said he could come to grips with imported inflation, however, he could not understand why EU-imported products were sold in Malta at three to seven times their original price. Dr Mangion held that the situation showed that there was something wrong in the system and promised that an MLP government would publish reports about price changes. He praised the UK Office of Fair Trading which fined two super markets £119million (e159million) for fixing the price of milk.

Deputy leader Michael Falzon gave a thorough overview of the three motions regarding social justice, the economy and the family which will be discussed during the party conference, which he reminded, will be closed on Sunday by the convalescent party leader Alfred Sant.

He stated that the speculation regarding the possible general election date were harming the country and wished that the people of Zejtun and the Marsa would be given the chance to vote in the upcoming local council elections after the PN “chickened out” three years ago, said Dr Falzon.

MEP Louis Grech also addressed the crowd and warned party supporters against those who were trying to change the MLP’s political agenda.