The Nationalist Party’s Executive Committee yesterday approved its election manifesto and is expected to publish the document in the coming days. Meeting at the PN club in Santa Venera yesterday afternoon, the PN Executive discussed and gave its stamp of approval to the draft document, which lays out the party’s proposals for what it hopes will be its next term in office.
The manifesto is to be based essentially on the PN’s three stipulated pillars of education, environment and employments, while also giving considerable weight to social solidarity and the health care system.
It also incorporates the already published 2015 vision, which identifies six areas in which Malta is to become a centre of excellence – namely information and communication technology, financial services, tourism, manufacturing, education and health services - as well as specific goals for Gozo, by the target year.
Speaking before the Executive yesterday afternoon, party leader Lawrence Gonzi commented that the upcoming manifesto’s proposals had been drafted after lengthy consultations with the whole of civil society and with their considerations being borne in mind.
The manifesto recalls the progress registered since Malta’s EU accession and, Dr Gonzi said, addresses a host of issues including the economic stimulus package announced on Tuesday.
It proposes making further investments in the educational system, on top of the previous heavy investments in facilities such as MCAST and the university, so that the entirety of Malta’s human resources could reach its full potential.
The country’s potential, Dr Gonzi said, is “enormous” and Malta stands to become a leader in a variety of sectors both in the Mediterranean region, as well as in the European Union.
By 2010, or the third year of the next legislature, Dr Gonzi reiterated that Malta would have a budget surplus, equipping the government with yet more resources with which to further address the county’s priority areas.
The manifesto is to also include a chapter dedicated to the environment, where, Dr Gonzi said, “a lot of work and investment has already been done, but where there is still a lot of work ahead.”
Malta, he said, was facing environmental challenges stemming from its high population density, while the recent success in the tourism industry, which saw a record number of visitors to Malta last year, also brings with it additional environmental pressures.
In terms of health, Dr Gonzi remarked how the past legislature had covered considerable ground, particularly in the area of institutional care with the opening of the Mater Dei hospital and other changes being made such as those at the Zammit Clapp and Sir Paul Boffa hospitals.
Primary care will also be given concerted focus, while oncology and cancer treatment and prevention will also be given an added impetus. The Pharmacy of Your Choice scheme, Dr Gonzi said, would be fully rolled out within the first year of the next legislature.