Gonzi urges listeners to ignore Labour's doom and gloom

A number of "reputable" international financial firms were interested in investing in Malta, according to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi.

However, the Prime Minister would not give any indication as to the nature of the companies he was referring to or when they would be setting up shop.

He was speaking to The Times after addressing a Nationalist Party meeting at Sta Venera, during which Dr Gonzi urged supporters to ignore the picture of doom and gloom being painted by the Labour Party.

Dr Gonzi said there were clear signals that the economy was on the path to recovery, with equally positive prospects for the tourism sector.

Education was underlined time and time again by the Prime Minister as one of the most important keys for a better economy.

The forecasts in this sector were also encouraging, with 10,000 students now attending university and an additional 2,800 students this year applying for courses at the Malta Council for Arts, Science and Technology.

The Education Ministry has also carried out the refurbishment of 120 schools during the summer months.

Such investment in education was in stark contrast to the times of the Socialist regime, Dr Gonzi said, which used to describe university certificates as "fish paper". He reiterated his government's intention to clamp down on litter louts, saying he hoped that the new stiff fines (to be announced shortly) coupled with the stepping up of enforcement, would act as a deterrent.

"We simply cannot tolerate people blatantly littering areas which would have been cleaned up hours before," he charged.

Though it was always important to look ahead, Dr Gonzi urged those present not to forget the 1970s and 1980s when it was unsafe to express one's political beliefs.

Dr Gonzi went one step further and urged the electorate to realise that in his 13 years at the helm of the Labour Party, Alfred Sant had opposed practically every project proposed by the Nationalist government. In each and every campaign of opposition, Dr Sant had been proven wrong.

"This is why it's important to ignore the daily moaning on Super 1 and to realise all the work we are doing on a daily basis," he said.

Parliamentary Secretary Edwin Vassallo and Nationalist MP Joseph Falzon also addressed those present.

At the end of the discussion, Dr Gonzi unveiled a plaque to mark the 30th anniversary of the Enrico Mizzi club in Sta Venera.