MLP conference to discuss electoral programme on Thursday, Friday

The Labour Party will convene an extraordinary general conference on Thursday and Friday to present its electoral programme and the candidates for the general election and the local council elections, Opposition leader Alfred Sant told a press conference this afternoon.

Dr Sant welcomed the announcement of the date of the general election, saying it would finally put an end to uncertainty which had been harming the country. The people, he said, were yearning for a change of government and wanted an administration that was efficient and accountable.

He said the electoral programme would be based on the Labour Party documents for a new beginning, with the policies putting the family at the heart of all decisions.

Dr Sant accused the Prime Minister of being embarrassed by his ministers, to the extent that they were not being brought to the fore in the electoral campaign. Dr Gonzi had had the chance to introduce a new style of leadership and he had failed, Dr Sant said.

He insisted that the reception class which Labour wants to introduce before primary school is not a repeated class, but a new model based on the model in the UK and Scandinavia.

He also insisted that a Labour government would keep the dockyard open next year even though, he said, the government wanted to close it if it did not turn a profit.

Dr Sant denied that a Labour government would seek to re-negotiate the EU accession treaty, but said a new Labour government would put Malta’s interests on the table in Brussels and seek better conditions for Malta in various areas such as the dockyard, working hours and agriculture.

The EU, Dr Sant said, should not be made a political football.