The reception class is not a repeater class, the Nationalist manifesto is, because it is repeating unkept promises of rebuilding the Royal Opera House and a Crafts Village, Labour Party Alfred Sant said yesterday.

Speaking in a tent set up at Spinola, St Julian’s, Dr Sant said he was criticised for not smiling enough in public. “There is someone who smiles a lot yet has been taking you for a ride,” he said in obvious reference to PN leader Lawrence Gonzi.

Dr Sant treated several issues that characterised the MLP election campaign, including the Labour proposal of a reception class.

He said its benefits were being enjoyed by EU countries whose 10-year-old children seemed to lag behind Maltese of the same age; however, there was an abysmal lag from 14-year-olds onwards.

Labour focused mainly on SMEs, which Dr Sant described as a vital sector of the country where operators have shown diligence throughout generations.

The deteriorating quality of life of the Maltese families was affecting SMEs directly, said Dr Sant, and that was because the worse off people were, the less they consumed.

“We have spoken to SMEs and understood their problems. We will, in a practical manner, see to improve their situation,” he said.

Dr Sant criticised the Nationalist Party for increasing VAT from 15 per cent to 18 per cent right after it had won an election in which it had proclaimed that the country’s finances were on solid ground.

He pledged once again that if elected to government, Labour would axe the utility surcharge by half from the first bill sent out to consumers.

“The Nationalists said only swimming pool owners would benefit from this measure. I only have a bath at home and I can assure you that everyone will benefit from the measure,” Dr Sant told the cheering crowd.

The Labour leader reiterated his promise that SMEs which did not enjoy a capping on surcharge would have it axed by half by way of a tax rebate. He confirmed that utility tariffs and meter rents would remain unchanged.

The labour leader next fired a broadside at the PN for lacking planning. “They built a huge hospital and ended up with a shortage of nurses and now, they are boosting the IT sector without having done anything to boost IT instruction between 1998 and 2002,” he said.

Dr Sant reminded his supporters that the first IT company to set up shop in Malta, Crimsonwing, did so during his premiership in 1997.

Labour will support SmartCity as it will boost the IT sector, said Dr Sant. He noted that IT companies were likely to employ Indian and Balkan employees and said that there was nothing wrong in asking that more Maltese should be employed as SmartCity would after all be built on the island.

Former PN activist Jo Said was also present for the dialogue meeting and was seen doing the rounds of the tent greeting people before Dr Sant arrived to start off the event.