The Nationalist Party did not provide feedback on the Malta Vision 2050 document, Prime Minister Robert Abela said during a political activity on Sunday.

Abela described the Malta Vision 2050 document as the roadmap to take the country towards new prosperity.

More than 400 organisations, Abela said, participated in the public consultation "as they understood how important this document is."

"Only one major organization sent nothing by the closing date of the consultation period... the Nationalist Party (PN). Those who are meant to be an alternative government and want the people to place their trust in them. They didn't send a single page to describe how they want to see Malta develop in the years to come."

He said that after the PN Leadership election, the PN wrote to the government requesting an extension so that by the end of October, the party would send its written response to Malta Vision 2050 as the consultation period had ended, excusing themselves as they were busy with the internal election. Abela said that the PN was granted a 50 extension. "Those 50 days expired two days ago at the end of October. We remained without a response. For the second time they made no submission on the most important policy for the future of this country."

He described it as an empty page "like other promises they have made."

Abela said that the first thing Alex Borg said when taking the oath of Opposition Leader, was that "he would propose a law for their party to be financed by the people, from the people's taxes. He received a barrage of criticism and never mentioned it again."

"He said there will be a crowdfunding platform for the party, time passed and nothing was done. He said they would change their statute and appoint a second deputy leader. The General council past and the statute didn't change."

Abela said that the PN didn't present a pre-Budget document this year either. He said that the party in Opposition did not present its formal document regarding the finances of the country and the economy.

"This is not the time to take things for granted," he told the public.

Abela said that before 2013, the PN government promised a few tax cuts. But the Prime Minister at the time, Lawrence Gonzi, "found some bad weather and didn't give a single cent tax cut. I promised a tax cut, and found a force 12 storm, energy crisis, international wars, and instead of making excuses, not only did I give what we promised, but we gave you 5 times more than what we promised."

During the political event, Abela also spoke about the measures introduced in the Budget for next year.

Abela said that he kept his word with pensioners, parents, youths, students and workers. "The biggest increase in social benefits in the history of the country, €120 million. The biggest tax cut in history, €160 million. The highest increase in stipends, 15%," he said, in reference to Budget measures. He also mentioned the tax cut granted last year.

He said that in less than 2 months' time "the best budget" in the country's history comes into force.

Meanwhile in Europe, he said, people are worried about tax increases.

Abela stressed the importance of having a strong economy in order to provide such Budgets.

The Prime Minister said that since he became Prime Minister, the government signed more than 120 collective agreements, "improving wages and conditions for over 42,000 workers. Workers whose quality of life was improved. That is the future of this country. A beautiful country as long as we continue along the road of progress. We have a lot more still to do," he said.

During his speech, Abela also spoke about Manoel Island, saying that while a Nationalist Party government had "taken it away, we will give it back to you, the people."

"Instead of a massive development, we will create a park for families. A national environmental project."

He thanked environmental groups for their work, and called for them to stand with he government so that "together, to make the most beautiful environmental project that has ever been made in the country."

Robert Abela denies facts that he himself knows to be true - PN

The PN, in response, said that Abela knows "full well that the Opposition had a meeting scheduled with the responsible Minister to present its observations and proposals before the consultation deadline. That meeting, however, was postponed by the Government itself - not by the PN."

"Both sides are now set to meet in a week and a half, on a new date given to the PN. Either the Prime Minister does not communicate with his Minister for the Economy, or else he prefers to keep deceiving people, thinking he can score political points by lying about the Opposition."

It said that on "12 November - the new date agreed after the meeting initially planned for October was postponed to November by the Government - the Opposition delegation will be giving a presentation to representatives of the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry for the Economy outlining the PN's position on Vision 2050 before it is published."

"This meeting will reciprocate a similar one held earlier, when the Ministry for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects presented the details of Vision Malta 2050 to a PN delegation. At that time, both sides agreed that the PN would proceed in the same way, with the PN presentation to take place ten days later. It is clear that Abela's comments were nothing more than an attempt to score political points by twisting a matter of national importance into a partisan issue. Robert Abela also lied when he claimed it was untrue that the Labour Government reduced capital expenditure in this budget. The financial estimates published by his own Government clearly show a reduction of more than €100 million in capital spending compared to last year. Rather than face the truth, Robert Abela went back more than ten years to try to mislead the public, comparing the figures to 2013 instead of to last year's capital expenditure - as if he's forgotten that Labour has been in government for almost 15 years."