Labour's proposals for the country would stimulate the economy and promote employment, acting party leader Charles Mangion said yesterday.

Addressing the party's Christmas reception for the media and social partners in the absence of Alfred Sant who is recovering from a major operation, Dr Mangion said that the country was moving towards interesting and important times for the democratic political system.

The MLP was addressing serious challenges including those in education, health, the cost of living, the environment and accountability in public administration.

He appealed to the media to spread Labour's message objectively because the people deserved to be informed to make their choices freely.

He said for communication between a political party and the public to be successful, the media had to respect the truth and the people's fundamental interest to be objectively informed.

It was the right of journalists to insist that politicians should be accountable but, likewise, journalists should also be accountable because the people had confidence in them.

Dr Mangion said that the Maltese media made great strides forward in professionalism but a lot still needed to be done. The media had the role in informing the public of facts and in evaluating these facts. But at the same time it had the responsibility to interpret the facts genuinely and to see the good and the bad of each political proposal, irrespective of which political party it was coming from.

He said that the national radio and television stations, which were sustained by the people's money, had to be balanced, objective and responsible enough to give out the message of each political party and to be balanced in its interpretation. This could be done because public broadcasting had competent employees who, if allowed to, were capable of serving this important public mission.

He told the social partners that they had a vital role to play in society and assured them the MLP would keep consulting them without abdicating the responsibility that belongs to every elected government to take decisions according to the mandate given by the people.

Although the party and the social partners would not always see eye to eye on everything, through a sincere dialogue they would understand each other well and safeguard their different interests in the best interests of Malta and Gozo.

Dr Mangion wished those present a good year on his behalf and on behalf of Dr Sant and the party's administration.

General secretary Jason Micallef also spoke on the role of national broadcasting saying that when it came to news and current affairs the station should be balanced and put the national interest at the forefront. It should also be free from personal agendas.

He recalled Dr Sant's invitation of November 27 in which he requested the Prime Minister to accept that, as happened in other countries, a series of erious debates between him and the Prime Minister, regulated by the Broadcasting Authority, would be broadcast nationally. The Prime Minister, Mr Micallef said, had the duty to reply to this proposal.