Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that there’s a sense of optimism in the country, something which cannot be simply said or invented by politicians but something that is confirmed by business people.

“This is proof of what we had said some two and the half years ago, that we needed a change in direction.

“There were people who said that there was a dire need for a change in direction but feared voting for Labour since they thought we hadn’t the ability to steer the economy.

“Two and the half years later, we are witnessing a massive change in our economy,” he said, also making reference to the PN’s scaremongering that Malta would need a bail-out once Labour was elected.

Speaking at the Labour Party Club in Sliema, Dr Muscat said that the free childcare system has helped reduce the costs of each family by some €3,000 a year. This, he said, helped double the income of women who joined the labour force since mothers could go out and work as a result of the system while also pocketing the costs normally one incurs to send his/her children to childcare.

‘Alice in Wonderland dream’ came true with reduction in utility tariffs – PM

Dr Muscat went on to say that the “Alice in Wonderland dream” came true since citizens were benefitting from a 25 per cent reduction in electricity tariffs.

When the Labour Party had announced that it would be reducing the electricity tariffs if elected, the PN had dubbed Labour’s energy plan as Alice in Wonderland.  

Dr Muscat said: “We are working to ensure there is stability in all sectors and reducing the chances of waking up one morning and having to increase tariffs in certain areas,” he explained.

He explained that the most pertinent thing is that people can have peace of mind and that families can plan out what they need to do each month without fearing that they would end up penniless half way through the month.

Lowest unemployment rate

He said never in Maltese history has there been such a low unemployment rate. “Under this government, 10 jobs are created against two people that register as unemployed.”

He said that this government was working to make sure that the country can face any future crisis and our children won’t have to suffer any future consequences.

He explained that some people have complained that certain families have benefitted from certain cost reductions and initiatives but they did not.

“I can say that these people will be taken care of as well,” he said.

Sliema burglaries

Dr Muscat said that Dr Busuttil could not expect us not to dub him as negative when he is, referring to fact that the PN blamed the government for a spate of burglaries in Sliema.

“It never even crossed my mind to blame a PN government for burglaries which took place in the past as the PN did in relation to a string of burglaries that took place in Sliema recently,” he said.

Dr Muscat’s choice to speak at a Labour Party club in Sliema may have been due to the achievement made by Police to bust a criminal gang that allegedly engaged in a string of burglaries in the locality.

Let’s tackle migration problem seriously - Muscat

Dr Muscat said that the easiest thing Malta can do is state that migrants are not coming here, our economy is doing well and when we needed the EU most it did not help.

“But we are responsible, despite the fact that our economy is doing well, and that it’s been months since migrants entered our shores. It is the right moment to take a central role in the migration debate,” he continued.

“No country can solve the problem of migration alone. This is a long-term issue and is not just about Mediterranean countries but wider than that,” he said.

Dr Muscat said that we must tackle the migration problem seriously.

He said he could not take it any longer to witness people stopping in Marsa and asking migrants to hop onto their trucks to work for them for a day or so. He said that this problem was also leading to Maltese workers being paid less for their services since they were being threatened by ‘employers’ that they would use the services of ‘foreigners’ instead, which were cheaper.

Photo: Jonathan Borg