Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday went on a walkabout in the Fgura commercial centre, saying that the hive of activity there reflected Malta’s economic growth rates.

The Prime Minister said that Fgura, in the south of Malta, was bustling with activity. “It reflects the fact that we have all-time high employment and the lowest rate of unemployment,” said Dr Gonzi.

The Prime Minister said that everywhere one looked, there was commercial activity going on. “It ranges from butchers’ shops, supermarkets, clothes shops, snack bars and even financial services,” he said.

Dr Gonzi said that the activity he has seen around various commercial centres in Malta showed that economic growth was truly gaining momentum. “And we can also see that there has been a huge leap forward in the quality of goods and services on offer. It is clear that in modern Malta, competitiveness is not only about price, but rather, price and quality,” he said.

Dr Gonzi said the consumer looks for both aspects, a fact that any shopkeeper will tell you. “We must keep offering good incentives to small and medium enterprises. Tax cuts help by leaving more in people’s pockets, but more needs to be done,” he said.

Dr Gonzi said the government had done all it could to help matters by reducing taxes and fees for licences. Taking a question by the media at the end of the tour, Dr Gonzi said the government’s plan to distribute energy saving light bulbs would yield positive energy saving results.

He also fielded a question about the MLP’s overtime proposals. “The employees of Super One work overtime on one hour and six minutes pay per one hour of overtime. We have a document showing that the MLP proposed it and that if anyone disagreed, they would be made redundant,” concluded the PM.