Insulted by Opposition Leader's comments

The Malta Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise (CoCE), the FOI, the Malta Employers' Association (MEA) and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants' Association (MHRA) took exception to comments made by the Leader of the Opposition, who was reported to have said by sections of the media that these organisations, which had shown agreement with the Budget, were "in the government's pocket".

The four organisations insisted that they felt insulted by this allegation, and that it was very dangerous for such statements to be made to seek to undermine their credibility, when they formed an essential part of the social and economic dialogue structure in the country.

The CoCE, FOI, MEA and MHRA are proud of their apolitical status since, through their actions, they have always shown they do not enter the partisan political fray. They reiterated that the main underpinnings of this year's Budget Speech reflected strong recommendations made by the four organisations in their prior representations and within the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD).

So it was for this reason that they reacted positively to the Budget Speech. They never shied away from criticising various administrations when they considered them to be acting against their members' interests.