The Nationalist Party, in government, failed to improve the conditions of pensioners and, once elected, the Labour Party set off to correct those mistakes, Minister for Social Justice Michael Falzon said Tuesday.
Addressing a press conference “to provide some truths regarding the question of the anomaly which arose regarding pensions”, Falzon said that in 2006, the PN caused an anomaly which is now being corrected.
He quoted Prime Minister at the time, Lawrence Gonzi, saying: “The maximum pension established 25 years ago, and which has been frozen since then, will now begin increasing by two thirds of the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) every year.”
Minister Falzon said that “the reality is that in 2006, through a decision by the PN, two categories of pensioners were created”.
What the PN is saying about differences in pensions being caused by the PL is a fat lie, Falzon said. If there was someone who caused these issues, it has always been the PN. He said that the Maltese and Gozitan pensioners “are intelligent enough to know that if there was a government or political party which always pushed forward their cause, it was the PL.”
He said that after 25 years of the pension “being frozen” under a PN Government, following the election of a PL Government in 2013, “the minimum pension has increased by €75 weekly”. He added that one of the things the PL has done is raise the minimum national pension for everyone. “The notion that we have not raised it for everyone is another lie … Our pensioners have seen eight increases, for everyone”. Labour will be introducing changes so that the highest pensionable income for those born before 1962 will increase at a faster pace, to reach the same levels as those who were born after 1962.
He concluded by saying that it is time to start addressing the injustice enacted by others. “For someone to suggest that in some form it was a PL Government that enacted injustice, is a complete lie … The first class and second class were created by the PN that was in Government in 2006, and now we need to begin fixing the mistakes and damage made by others.” He said that the PL has always felt that there should be no distinction between Maltese and Gozitan citizens.
PL MP Romilda Zarb said that the government is dedicated to ensuring that the elderly are offered a better quality of life. She criticised Bernard Grech’s “attacks on the great help this Government has offered on energy prices” which is intended “to assist families and businesses”. She added that “the PN did not only fail to help its citizens while in Government, but ceased help entirely.”
Zarb said that the PL acknowledges that the COLA was a good measure, and that instead of attempting to undermine the COLA, it is introducing a new mechanism to assist those in the most need by increasing their benefits. “It’s easy to provide one cheque, but we are not that way. We incentivise people to work and assist them when they are in need.” She criticised the PN for “instead of recognising the legacy of their own Government, they have spent years attacking COLA and trying to undermine it”.
“Robert Abela’s Government has its hand on the people’s pulse. Even during times of international challenges without precedent. We recognise the importance of investing in our citizens to ensure that people always have a better quality of life,” she said.