Today is the last day that The Malta Independent can report political activities due to the mandatory period of reflection. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday turned up for the last in a series of televised programmes and the mood was again different. Many turned up for the activity which was held at Palace Square in Valletta to listen to the PN leader speak in what is surely the sprint towards the finishing line after what has been a hectic five-week campaign marathon.
Dr Gonzi was in good spirits and feeling very relaxed. He spotted Minister Austin Gatt and MEP Simon Busuttil. He spontaneously hugged Dr Gatt and had a word in his ear and like an older brother, ruffled Dr Busuttil’s hair.
DJ John Bundy hosted the programme and asked Dr Gonzi what he thought of the MLP’s mud slinging campaign. “Look at their billboards. The upturned containers tell you to choose Labour. The rest of the billboards are all smear campaign related. It’s almost as if they are saying choose Labour because we are good at smear campaigns,” he said.
The Prime Minister said that on the flipside, the PN had built a campaign on the party’s ambitions for “this beautiful country”. He said that Malta had really punched above its weight over the past five years. “I have no control over what will happen on Monday. But I can tell you that we are committed to working hard to continue to move forward,” he said.
Dr Gonzi said that he wanted to see more jobs and better jobs and continued free healthcare. “We have the duty to plan for the future and that is what we are committed to. And we are not just planning for certain sections of society, we want to bring out everyone’s talents, no matter how good they are at school. I never ask what a person is not capable of, but what they are capable of,” said the Prime Minister.
He said that the government was committed to continued reduction of income tax. “This will all help in creating new jobs. But I appeal for people to continue to explore opportunities of developing their full potential,” he said. Dr Gonzi said that a PN government wanted to give everyone the opportunity to make the best of themselves.
Dr Gonzi also said that while Malta was looking forward to the arrival of SmartCity, one had to point out that even without it, the country was still regarded as one of the most advanced countries in Europe in relation to IT. The campaign, from a newspaper’s point of view, has ended and if one had to ask what Dr Gonzi’s strength has been, it has to be the simple fact that he has the ability to make Maltese people proud of themselves, proud of their country and happy to live on these islands.