Sant urges voter turnout

Accusing the government of not being one with the people, Alfred Sant said yesterday the Nationalist Party was bringing doom to the country.

The Labour leader was addressing a party mass meeting in the European Parliament and local council elections campaign.

He said the government did not care about the negative effects of its policies on citizens and families.

Dr Sant stressed the importance of making a difference, in both the EP and the local elections being held on June 12, by voting for the MLP candidates.

He said this was not a choice of for or against Europe, but about who were the best representatives for the country.

"We have the best team," he said.

The Labour leader said the Labour supporters who did not go out to vote next month, would be giving their vote to the PN.

He said the country was embroiled in a big scandal, with Foreign Affairs Minister John Dalli being accused of having used his position to divert Freeport work that was going through a certain company, to another in which his family was involved.

Dr Sant said the Prime Minister was aware of this but was going to address the issue after the elections. He challenged the Prime Minister to investigate the case.

Dr Sant said the MLP lived to be close to the people, and was always consistent in fighting for the people's rights. He said the party was there to defend workers.

The Labour leader said the party believed in the drydocks and wanted to again make them the best in the Mediterranean. He referred to Maghtab and said the situation was getting progressively worse.

He also said the party did not believe that pensions should be privatised.

On price fluctuations, Dr Sant said meat would soon go up by between 90 and 120 per cent, while the prices of cereals and cheese would double.

The Labour leader said his party would continue to insist on a price watch.

Labour deputy leader Michael Falzon stressed that people should vote Labour.

"We have a clear choice, between secrecy and transparency," he said.

Dr Falzon said that while the NSO said unemployment was 5.5 per cent in 2003, a European Central Bank report said this stood at 8.8 per cent.

The MLP, he said, would continue to be consistent and work for the good of the Maltese, and would not remain on the sidelines.

"We have a right and an obligation to vote on June 12, an obligation to vote for the MLP candidates," he said.

Deputy leader Charles Mangion said the country needed a government that would do away with bureaucracy. He said companies that were not said to be a problem before last year's elections - like Air Malta, the PBS, and Sea Malta - now were, and the government expected the workers to carry the burden. Each person was burdened with a debt of Lm3,500 and in the first four months of this year the government collected Lm11.3 million more than last year in taxes.

European Parliament vice-president Gerhard Schmid also addressed the meeting. He said the Maltese people have decided about Malta's position in the EU, and now the question was who would better minimise disadvantage and make the most of the advantages. "The Labour Party," he said, answering his own question.

Mr Schmid said Malta could act as a bridge between the EU and Arab countries.

Four of the party's candidates for next week's EP elections also spoke. Glen Bedingfield referred to the people present as his family, and said their presence filled the party with courage to continue overcoming the challenges it was facing.

Mr Bedingfield said June 12 had to be seen as a challenge to be won. He said the country was fed up being managed by those who were consistent in deception.

John Attard Montalto referred to June 12 as a one-off opportunity, and added that this was not a European election, but one between the MLP and the PN. He urged the people to go out and vote so that the MLP would win and be able to celebrate.

Robert Micallef said it was due to a Labour government that Malta found its feet after colonialism, but a Nationalist government was trying to undermine what its Labour predecessor had achieved.

He said that while the government was trying to have a sixth member in the EP, it was not ready to fight to safeguard neutrality and employment, among others.

Louis Grech said voting in the coming elections meant "no" to a government that remained passive to all the problems the country was facing.

"We can make a difference, even in Europe," he said, adding that no walkovers should be given to others.