Topical issues

As usual, the Lawrence Gonzi Administration could not care less about spending taxpayers' money on trumpeting its imaginary achievements. The sums spent in advertising the inauguration of the Mater Dei Hospital will have to be paid by you and me, the ordinary citizens. I fail to see what the government has to be proud of, given the exorbitant sum spent to build the hospital and the amount of time taken.

The pathetic level to which the PN government is prepared to descend could be seen in opening the new hospital to the public for viewing, the real reason, of course, being partisan political advantage. It would have been much better if the money had been spent on orientation sessions for the staff who will use the hospital. I could not believe my eyes when I saw pictures of adults with kids on their shoulders "enjoying" their tour of the hospital. Incredible! What will Dr Gonzi do next to win a handful of votes? Open a cemetery and take the public on a tour of the graveyards?

Quality of life

The Nationalist Party will lose the coming general election because it still cannot grasp the fact that the common people will not be fooled by false government propaganda. It is useless to continue the attempt of drumming into the heads of citizens that Malta is going through a period of prosperous resurgence when the ordinary people's experiences dictate otherwise.

What about the pensioner who has to switch on his air conditioner for only two or three hours a day because of the hefty energy bills?

What about the worker who slumps into a sofa to watch television and relax, after a hard summer day's work, only to be driven to the depths of despair by a power failure that lasts for long hours and ruins his/her evening?

What about the young bride who has to put off her wedding for several years because of the high price of property?

The people are not fools; they can tell the difference between empty words and promises and the reality they have to endure every day under the Nationalist government.

VF Malta

The PN in government has, unfortunately, taken VF Malta workers for a ride. Let us have a look at the facts.

On February 25, 2002, Nationalist Minister Josef Bonnici wrote in the newspaper In-Nazzjon that VF was a very clear example of how Maltese companies could be competitive in the textiles sector. On February 19, 2003, (then) Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami visited VF and promised the workers that under a new PN Administration they would enjoy great advantages. On February 21, 2003, Josef Bonnici said in a press release that under a new Nationalist government new opportunities would be created for the clothing industry in Malta. On February 23, 2003, during a PN mass meeting at Naxxar, Margaret Mercieca, then employed at VF, appealed to factory workers to vote PN to ensure more foreign investment in Malta and more work opportunities. On January 9, 2004, two days after VF had made 240 workers redundant, In-Nazzjon's editorial stated that the VF redundancies were aimed at ensuring the company's viability, given the commitment of the company to remain based in Malta and to increase its investment in the country. Then, on June 19, VF announced it was closing its factory in Malta and laying off 570 workers.

These are facts that speak for themselves. Anybody trusting PN promises by voting PN at the next general election would simply be a masochist. Any citizen who expects to be treated with dignity and respect by his/her government and not have his/her intelligence insulted will vote Labour.

Political vocabulary

I would like to take this opportunity to make an appeal to all those involved in politics in the Maltese Islands to avoid personal attacks and anything that denigrates the dignity and respect that should be accorded to one's political opponents. Now that the general election is approaching, all those in the public eye should keep in mind that all their words and actions have an influence on the public. People with different political opinions are simply that, nothing more. They are not our antagonists, our enemies, etc. Such vocabulary is not worthy of the Maltese people in the year 2007.

Democracy is built on the precept that every citizen is free to express his/her political opinion without any inhibition. Different political opinions enrich the quality of political life in a country. The relationship between members and supporters of different political parties should be built on mutual respect. After all, this is the surest sign of political maturity.