MLP in power would revise energy bills at once - Mangion

The Labour Party would immediately revise the exorbitant water and electricity bills once elected to government, MLP deputy leader Charles Mangion has promised.

Addressing delegates during the party's annual general conference yesterday, Dr Mangion said other priority areas to be tackled soon after a Labour win in the next election would be inflation and the adequacy of medical services.

Labour was committing itself to encourage investment and create jobs, strengthen the quality of education and safeguard the environment.

Dr Mangion said that underlying the detailed reforms being proposed in the five policy plans being presented to delegates - on the family, the elderly, equality, youths and working conditions - a new Labour government would be guided by a basic question, on how every single measure would affect Maltese families.

The Nationalist Party achieved a record of failures during its 20 years in government, he said.

"Inflation has spiked while the country's competitiveness had gone to the dogs. Families and businesses are being burdened by the exorbitant water and electricity surcharge."

The Nationalist government increased taxes and did not do anything to raise the quality of the medical service. Like health, the education budget had increased drastically, but better results had not been achieved. Nobody from government had clearly stated that Mater Dei Hospital would be free of charge. Under the Nationalists, property prices became sky high and, as a result, it was even more difficult for young people to buy a first home.

The government, Dr Mangion said, was also responsible for the bad state of the environment.

The MLP was prepared to govern the country after the next election, as the detailed documents being approved by delegates showed. What Labour set out to do was ambitious as the documents made a long list of proposals. Yet after so many years of bad governance, Labour owed the reforms to the people.

In his intervention, European Parliament member John Attard Montalto said the MLP would win the election hands down, but this required unity within the party.

Dr Attard Montalto said rifts within the PN did come out occasionally, but they always stood side by side when it came to bite the bullet. He said this should serve a lesson for the MLP to ensure victory.

Four of the five social policy documents have been approved on the first two days of the conference. Discussion and approval of the working conditions plan are expected tomorrow morning before the conference is closed by Labour leader Alfred Sant.

Delegates in Malta and Gozo yesterday voted for the 10 new members representing the general conference in the party executive. They were also called to vote for the party's educational secretary - being contested by Aleks Farrugia and Wenzu Mintoff. This was the only administrative post being contested.