Within two days you can choose between a party rooted in the same old ideas, rhetoric, and broken promises or give a vote of confidence to the party which is showing commitment to being positive and down to business while keeping the government under check.

The European Parliament elections are by their very nature a different kind of nationwide elections. They don’t elect the national government, but they do bring the government closer to reality. They do send a message.

During my first election campaign as Labour leader, my colleagues and I met people from all walks of life. Self employed, teachers, students, nurses, health assistants, doctors, taxi and bus drivers, hunters and environmentalists, minority groups, and blue and white collar workers. We heard success stories but we also met employees who just a year ago were told that their jobs were guaranteed. They are now facing redundancies and an uncertain future with some of them already working on a four-day week schedule.

The Prime Minister and his candidates are criticising the issues we are raising in this campaign, claiming that we shouldn’t be talking about people’s immediate concerns. They want to engage on a debate about what happens in the European Parliament. I am afraid that the Prime Minister and his candidates are missing the point of what membership in the European Parliament is all about.

I should know because I was there. Let me assure everyone that it is easy to loosen the grip on the reality which your constituents are facing at home. That is why we share the concerns of people who keep mentioning the same issues; cost of living, water and electricity bills, jobs and illegal immigration.

It is true that these are European elections but they are first and foremost Maltese elections. Voters will not be choosing MEP candidates from any other European State, but they will be choosing a Maltese MEP who will best represent them in the European Parliament.

That is why our message was focused on your issues, your concerns and your aspirations.

I can say with confidence at this stage that a vote for Labour candidates on Saturday is a vote for those people who will remain close to your needs. That is why we believe in the European Socialists’ European campaign slogan, People First.

This is what these elections are really all about and that is why people should be voting on Saturday, because whatever our opponents say, these elections are about you and how you want to be best represented in Europe.

Of course you need not be a rocket scientist to understand why Lawrence Gonzi has tried very hard to avoid debating local issues.

Many middle class families are cutting on their weekly or monthly shopping as a result of their ever tightening budgets. Part of the cause can be attributed to the international economic crisis. But Lawrence Gonzi carries a large part of the blame.

This is where we as a responsible opposition have to voice the concerns of the citizens and defend their interests.

The game played by Lawrence Gonzi with the utility bills is a prime example. Whilst Lawrence Gonzi and Austin Gatt were playing an absurd game against each other, you were paying the bills. Our policy was always clear. In the face of this economic crisis, we would not have increased the utility bills. We would have done exactly what other responsible European governments were doing to safeguard jobs, and cushion the negative affects to downward economic trends.

But Lawrence Gonzi didn’t stop there. In recent days we got to know, through an official Cabinet document, that yet again there are plans to introduce charges on our healthcare system. If it were not so, there would not have been a report in the first place and it wouldn’t have been discussed at Cabinet level. If Lawrence Gonzi was so certain that healthcare would remain free, he should have asked his task force to plan a primary healthcare reform without even considering introducing charges on healthcare in the first place. That is what I would have done had I been in his place.

In the last few days of the campaign, Lawrence Gonzi was contradicted by the European Commission when he said that a 5% charge on vaccines was imposed by the EU. The EC said that it was the government who decided to impose VAT on vaccines.

Illegal immigration is another important issue where the Government is failing the country miserably. We know of no concrete plan how government wants to tackle this issue. Instead Lawrence Gonzi continues with his management by crisis approach.

We as a party presented to government our plan on illegal immigration in parliament. It may not be the perfect solution but nonetheless it is a clear 20-point plan on immigration which sets the ball rolling.

Unfortunately, Lawrence Gonzi only came up with excuses not to discuss our plan. His weak attitude will simply not get us anywhere, and unless the Maltese Government takes a firm stand, illegal immigration will remain a problem for our country.

Backed with five years of positive experience in the European Parliament, we are putting forward an electoral manifesto which contains a clear 18-point achievable plan. A plan crafted with you in mind to defend your interests and meet your aspirations. Our vision is clear. Our track record proves it.

Lawrence Gonzi was a big disappointment for all those who trusted him. He promised a lot but delivered very little.

The cost-of-living is rocketing to unheard-of levels. Unemployment is on the increase. Gonzi is not delivering for Malta on key issues like illegal immigration.

We need change but, more than that, we need people with a vision and a commitment to better the quality of life of the Maltese and Gozitan citizens.

The right to vote is yours. The choice is yours too. Send the message. On 6 June, vote Labour.