As the political campaigns now gear towards the general elections, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) appealed to the leadership structures of both the major political parties to be responsible in their pledges to the electorate.

MHRA stated that the electoral pledges must be sustainable and not used as goodies to simply lure the electorate.  The economic success achieved to date has been remarkable and MHRA said it believes that the benefits of such achievements should be fairly distributed amongst society. Getting here however wasn't an easy journey and cannot be taken for granted.

MHRA said it believes that the pledge issued by the Labour Party, as communicated yesterday, to give back public holidays that fall on weekends as extra days of leave, is a perfect example of an unsustainable measure. This matter has been discussed and studied on various occasions and there has always been consensus that such a measure would jeopardize the competitiveness of our economy and business operations.

Similarly, the statement made by the Nationalist Party leadership that the measures agreed through the MCESD forum to improve the conditions related to the minimum wage are equally not fitting.

The MHRA is looking forward to see which measures both political parties are planning to pursue once one of them is elected in government to ensure further sustainable growth that will raise the standard of living for all.  However, our country cannot afford to spend money which does not have. MHRA pledges to support the political party elected to sustainably grow the country's economy and social conditions but will oppose measures which are populist in nature and threaten the wellbeing of all.