Whilst the situation regarding Manoel Island is not an instance where one could snap their fingers and get the land back, remarked Prime Minister Robert Abela on Sunday during an interview on party media, the dream is to give the land back to the people.

The Prime Minister said that he met with representatives of petitioners as well as the association which represents the bondholders and shareholders. Regarding the bondholders and shareholders, Abela commented that these individuals are not big contractors, but rather a category of people where the absolute majority of them are pensioners who invested. He continued that the situation needs to be treated with sensitivity and seriousness, regardless of which angle the situation is viewed from.

He said that the pensioners who invested want to at least get back what they had initially invested, and commented that while the government has no legal obligation in this case, he believes that there is a moral obligation. “We have never left the pensioners by themselves… and we want them to experience the best quality of life.”

Abela remarked that the labour government of today has had to take on enormous challenges as a result of the mismanagement from preceding administrations. He said that there are ongoing studies at the moment regarding the different aspects of the Manoel Island situation. He indicated that a judicial process may begin soon, and he continued that the government wants to do everything possible for the land to be given to the people. “Not with populism, but with concrete action… I told the petitioners that their fight is my fight… This is a cause I greatly believe in.”

Prime Minister Abela said that one principle which he believes there should be a clear consensus on is that it should not be the case that hundreds of millions in the people’s taxes are paid to those who potentially broke the concession. He remarked that compensating speculators with the people’s taxes when he believes that they have already gotten enough out of Tigne Point is something which he is convinced is not the right decision. “Such compensation is not an option that the government is considering,” he stated.

Speaking on employment in Malta, Abela said that the country is bringing in employment and careers of quality.

He said that the philosophy with which the government has been able to broadly grow the economy and attract quality investment is the philosophy that quality investment needs to be welcomed with open arms, not prevented from progressing forward. He added that another great success in Malta’s economic growth is thee faith that there is in the business community, which he said knows that if they plan an effective investment, such an investment will prove to be beneficial. Abela remarked that in the past, some may have questioned if it would be worth investing as opposed to keeping the money in their pockets, and continued that before 2013, many would have believed that investing was not worth it due to the risks. However, he said that people today believe in investing due to the economic climate of the country.

Abela said that the European Commission has recently noted that Malta has the lowest unemployment rate among the European Union member states. With that in mind, Abela said that the focus today is on job quality. He continued that Malta does not have the need for creating 2,000 low skill jobs, but rather that it would be more beneficial to establish 100 quality jobs that can be taken up by the Maltese and Gozitans. He remarked that he enjoys going to schools such as MCAST or Junior College and seeing students studying in fields that the country needs so that youths can take up the opportunities being established.

The Prime Minister also spoke about fuel prices, as he said that the stable prices should not be taken for granted. He commented that contrary to the other 26 EU member states, Malta has unique geographical disadvantages as it is not connected to the European grid and does not have direct connection with Mainland Europe. He continued that the assistance that the government provides concerning fuel is done so in order to balance against such disadvantages and to be on a level playing field with other countries.

Abela continued that such assistance can only continue to be provided as long as one has a growing economy. He commented that he believes other countries wish to provide similar assistance to their people, but are unable to do so due to big deficits and economies which are not growing. He added that despite what is happening elsewhere, Malta experiences “economic miracles”. Having said that, the Prime Minister stated that the government must continue focusing on everyday work. “Nothing is guaranteed… We need to stay grounded and humble.”

He said that a lot more needs to be done, and that the challenges are not small. Abela said that the challenges require continuous focus on economic growth, the country’s finances, and each sector’s movement in the right direction.

Abela said that this will not be a summer where the government will relax, as the work must be intensified. He added that there are still things from the electoral manifesto that need to be enacted.