Government would be offering its track record, not music - PM

The economic success Malta was enjoying had not come about by chance but because the government had given the economy a new direction, the Prime Minister said at a Nationalist Party activity in Naxxar yesterday.

The government had set the economy on new foundations, he said, such as information technology and services that would secure a bright future for the island.

Dr Gonzi recalled the "shock" when, in 2005, 900 Denim factory employees were laid off.

"We worried a lot for those people because each of them represented a family, young couples struggling to start a new life... but today almost all of them have found employment," he said.

The government knew that that sort of industry would run into trouble and it had, therefore, worked to create fresh job opportunities while investing heavily in education. The results could now be seen in, for example, the growth of the pharmaceutical sector, which, he said, was bursting at the seams.

On this point, he took a swipe at Labour leader Alfred Sant, who, he said, last week complimented a factory for its success. This was a firm which two years ago Dr Sant had predicted would close down.

Turning to the recent signing of the SmartCity deal, Dr Gonzi said that over lunch with Ahmad bin Byat, Tecom Investments' executive chairman, he discussed what made Malta attractive as an investment destination over other countries in Europe. The reason, Dr Gonzi said, was that the Maltese people had a reputation for being hard workers.

On Labour Day, rather than song and music, what the Nationalist Party would be offering was a track record that was based on a strong economy, strong policies and a government which was on the ball, Dr Gonzi said.