PM challenges Sant to indicate how he would finance Labour's plans

Eddie Fenech Adami yesterday challenged Alfred Sant to declare where he intended to get the Lm25 million needed to finance the "two month tax pardon" the Labour leader is proposing to give, and from where he was going to get the money to replace the Lm81 million he would be giving away by not following up European Union membership.

Addressing a Nationalist Party mass meeting in Psaila Street, Birkirkara, the prime minister lashed out at Dr Sant's latest proposal of a two month tax holiday, and said he was not impressed by Dr Sant's gimmicks.

"It would be better for Dr Sant to start explaining from where he intends to get the Lm25 million and the Lm81 million in lost funds from the EU. It is very easy to make all kinds of promises but it is about time for Dr Sant to start giving some explanations."

He said it was incredible that Dr Sant decided to announce his tax holiday proposal after the publication of the Labour Party's electoral programme.

He said that Dr Sant's statement that he was offering this tax holiday because the economy was in a disastrous state was completely false. "Dr Sant's statement that the economy is stagnant is contradicted by facts. The investment in the country over the past four-and-a-half years has been very strong and it is clear that investors have confidence in the government's policy of ensuring that Malta will join the EU on May 1 next year."

Dr Fenech Adami said that for the economy to be strengthened and for the creation of more wealth in the country there was a growing need for the nation to ensure that Dr Sant will not become prime minister and that the Labour Party will not win the coming election.

"The most serious threat to our economy would be if Dr Sant wins the election and becomes prime minister," he said.

He stressed that Dr Sant was only interested in gimmicks. On the other hand, Dr Fenech Adami said, the Nationalist Party in government has managed to negotiate two collective agreements for the civil service within four and a half years and has also managed to significantly lower income tax for everyone. The measures implemented by the Nationalist government, Dr Fenech Adami said, were permanent "because the PN was not into gimmicks."

He described the past four-and-a-half years as characterised by harmony between the social partners and stressed that the model of involving civil society in the decision-making process through the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development and the EU membership negotiations structures as having proved very successful and that the country was now reaping the fruit of those policies.

Dr Fenech Adami said it was becoming very clear that the Labour Party has turned the electoral campaign into a personal attack against him, and he accused the Labour Party of mounting a campaign which lacked the basic fundamental principles of ethics.

He said there was a fundamental difference between the electoral programmes of the two parties: the Nationalist Party electoral programme has laid down the foundation and the vision for the government to continue with the work started over the past four-and-a-half years.

The Nationalist electoral programme would be fulfilled with the implementation of the people's verdict of March 8 that Malta should join the EU on May 1, 2004. On the other hand, Dr Fenech Adami said, the Labour Party's electoral programme was just made up of "empty words" and "gimmicks" with nothing concrete for the future of the country.

He said he was aware there were rumours in the country on the result of the election. Some people were saying that the Labour Party was already preparing the celebrations for their victory. Others were saying that the Nationalist Party did not need to worry because it was definitely going to win the election.

"My advice is not to take any notice of rumours and to work hard for every single vote. We need every possible single vote for the April 12 election. This is my message."

Dr Fenech Adami referred to an article in a section of the press which quoted a prominent Labour candidate saying that if the Nationalist Party won the next election there would be bloodshed. He urged the people to put their mind at rest because the forces of order were ready to intervene in case someone decided not to accept the verdict of the people.

"There is no need for concern or fear because under Nationalist governments there was always peace, stability and tranquillity and that will be the case after the April 12 election. The forces of order are fully prepared for any eventuality."