Sant questions condition of pillars

Labour leader Alfred Sant has called on the government to publish the technical report on the basis of which it had concluded that the pillars of Manwel Dimech bridge are in good condition.

Addressing a dialogue meeting in Paola in the run-up to next month's local elections, Dr Sant noted that the pillars are made of the same type of concrete as the bridge, on which extensive upgrading works are now underway.

He referred to a claim he had made previously: that the estimate for the bridge works had not included works on the pillars so that this job would then be allocated by direct order.

Following this statement, an interview was conducted on TVM with a foreign engineer who said that the pillars were in good condition.

The government had claimed that the work being done on the bridge would be good for 25 years. It should also say for how much longer the pillars were to remain in good condition, Dr Sant said.

He said the Nationalist government had squandered at least Lm191 million in cost overruns over the past few years.

He said that the more time passed, the clearer it was becoming that the people wanted a change in government to give the Nationalist Party a lesson.

A confidential report commissioned by the PN after losing the European Parliament elections three years ago had noted that the people were unhappy with the increase in the cost of living, taxes, the lack of correct information on the economy, the lack of law enforcement and the lack of control on government entities.

It had said that the people felt the government had betrayed them and they wanted an administration which protected their interests.

But since the report was drawn up three years ago, the problems it tackled had grown, Dr Sant said, adding that the Nationalists thought of themselves as miniature gods who could not be criticised.

He described the March 10 local elections as a tough round for Labour. There were a number of big localities, such as Attard, Gzira, Mosta, Siggiewi and Swieqi, that were traditionally Nationalist Party strongholds.

In this round of elections three years ago, the MLP had won a slight majority of 50.4 per cent but turnout had then been higher than usual because the EP elections were being held at the same time. The MLP would, however, still be trying to improve on its result this time round so every vote was important, Dr Sant said.

The Labour leader said the government had not yet replied to the technical issues brought up by MLP experts on the figures published by the National Statistics Office.

The government was now saying that the figures had met Eurostat's approval so it should not be afraid to give clear, technical explanations.