Prime Minister Joseph Muscat this evening urged women to vote for the Labour Party on Saturday, telling them that no great advances in equality were made under conservative governments.
PN administrations, he said, had even dragged their feet on the most basis domestic violence laws.
Dr Muscat spoke about how the PL empowered women. “Equality is difficult to achieve if you don’t provide jobs for everyone. We helped women become more independent.” This allowed women to emancipate themselves and not become victims of abuse.
“This movement will never accept anyone who says that a woman who is beaten by her husband would be getting what she deserved,” he said, in a clear reference to PN candidate Josie Muscat. “That candidate would have no place among us, no matter the amount of votes he would get. The fact that the PN is accepting such people shows how desperate they are.”
This government’s policies, he said, had affected three categories of women. The first category included women who have been given, for the first time in their lives, the opportunity to work. The second category is made up of women who were on social benefits and who have been given the tools to get out of poverty. The third category includes the women who do humble work but felt that they should not declare their work. Today, with the systems that have been introduced, that situation has changed.
The next step is for the private sector to improve conditions and salaries.
The PM said the female employment rate had for the first time exceeded the Eurozone average.
He said that the government had reduced poverty by 37,000, but few people knew that more than half – 20,000 – were women.
He spoke on some of the PL electoral pledges, which include the sharing of maternity and paternity leave by couples. This would provide more flexibility and liberty to families.
The government, he said, also had laws in place which would allow the husband, and also the children, to take the mother’s surname, rather than the father’s. He said this was another step Malta would be introducing before other European countries. “We do not copy others, we anticipate the times.”
“We will give incentives to employers to introduce measures like teleworking. Up till now it is mainly the government that provides this.”
Another measure that is set to benefit both women and men is the proposal to exempt those who sit for a master’s degree or PhD from paying income tax for one and two years respectively. “This is the biggest encouragement for our country to invest in its human capital.”
Dr Muscat said he wanted more women to be involved in the country’s leadership. He also hoped that by the next election after this one the country would have many more women MPs. “Female representation in Parliament today is ridiculous. I am hopeful that with your help I will be able to change this system.”
Before Dr Muscat started his speech a video endorsement by Portuguese PM Antonio Costa was played out. In the short clip the Portuguese PM praised Dr Muscat for doing a “great job” as President of the European Union.
Photos: Paul Jones
