The Malta Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise congratulated Lawrence Gonzi on his party’s victory at the polls and augured that the country would continue to experience economic growth within the framework of stability in the next legislature.
The chamber referred to the various proposals of economic and commercial interest included in the PN’s electoral programme, saying it believed that a further widening of the income tax bands was sustainable in the short-medium term.
It also referred to other proposals such as the increased investment in education as well as Dr Gonzi’s committed priority towards sustainable development as positive signals for the country. The business community recognised the importance of the environment as a key strategic issue and supported the move towards sustainable development, it added.
The Malta Employers’ Association also congratulated the Nationalist Party, saying the government should forge ahead with its target to achieve a balanced budget by 2010, and to continue to invest heavily in education to ensure a supply of qualified labour to cater for the needs of major investment projects that are expected to materialise in the coming years.
Economic growth should be fuelled by increasing aggregate demand through tax reductions and through enhanced investment and productivity resulting from an improvement in Malta’s competitiveness and attraction as an investment destination, the association said.
Another message of congratulations came from the Malta Federation of Industry, which said it looked forward to continue to cooperate with the government for the furtherance of industrial and economic development.
The federation said it wished to be given the opportunity to contribute effectively to the government’s efforts at all levels, for finding the right equilibrium for developing further the economy and the creation of more wealth for the benefit of entrepreneurs and employees alike.
The Union Haddiema Maghqudin also congratulated Dr Gonzi. Congratulations were also sent by the GRTU, Chamber of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, which said it was looking forward to see the implementation in a short time of the changes necessary to increase efficiency and strengthen the participation process of the social partners.
The GRTU called for a strengthening of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development, which was not operating as it should. The social partners, it added, should be involved seriously in the process of government planning.
The Medical Association of Malta (MAM) also congratulated Dr Gonzi on his appointment as Prime Minister of Malta and said it looked forward to cooperating with the government to implement the recent historic agreement and to constructively review primary health care, so as to continue to improve the health service
“Zminijietna – Voice of the Left” congratulated the Nationalist Party and Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi for winning the general election but augured “that the relative majority obtained by the Nationalists does not result in a winner-takes-all approach”.
The Labour Party, it said, suffered a minimal defeat, yet this should ring a bell as regards the party’s direction and strategies. Alternattiva Demokratika and Azzjoni Nazzjonali did not receive positive results. While Malta’s electoral system makes things extremely difficult for small parties, this alone does not explain their results, it added.