Don't believe the government, says Sant

A highly charged Alfred Sant yesterday appealed "to those being lied to by the government" - parents, teachers, the police, government employees, students, security and other hospital staff, Gozitan workers, parastatal employees, the self-employed and small business - to be careful and not believe what they were told at face value.

Addressing the enthusiastic flag-waving crowd which had packed the Granaries in Floriana by early afternoon, Dr Sant said: "Do not believe them, go through the facts and take our invitation to choose Labour on March 8. We do what we promise."

Labour, he said, was refusing to waste its time rebutting the PN's lies rather than explain its programme.

The party's invitation to the people to choose Labour was finding favour with people who had been sceptical. They were starting to understand that Labour would listen to rather than boo those it did not agree with in order to bring about a complete change for the better.

"The tranquil change we will be bringing about will be calm, fair, transparent and satisfactory to Maltese and Gozitan families... Labour will also continue to tell the truth till the very end."

Dr Sant referred to his party's proposal of a reception class and said this would be implemented following discussion with teachers and parents which would lead to an agreement. Labour did not want education to be used as a political instrument and it would not do what the PN government wanted to do - close Junior Lyceums and remove Matsec examination re-sits.

In the health sector Labour would work with the private sector so that with better management and more resources, waiting lists would be reduced by 15 per cent each year.

The Gonzipn government, Dr Sant warned, was promising things it could not implement. And it had been planning to introduce payment for health services since 2004. In saying this was not true,Dr Gonzi was lying, he insisted.

The Labour leader also said Labour would have zero tolerance for corruption. While the Prime Minister said he was against corruption, he was surrounded by corrupt people whom he left in top posts. He never acted on proof of corruption. A Labour government, on the other hand, would investigate and act on every claim.

One of the priorities of his government, Dr Sant said, would be employment creation. In the past year there had been the lowest rate of full-time job creation since independence.

A total 1,500 jobs in manufacture had been lost in the past four years. Labour, on the other hand, was aiming to create 6,000 new jobs in this field - 2,000 from existing factories, 4,000 from new ones. Labour would also increase training for young people so that they would be able to take up the jobs being created.

Under the present government, Dr Sant said, even tourism, which had made big strides under every government since independence, had suffered. It was true that it had started to regain ground in the past year but this was not thanks to the government. Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech, he said, was more interested in getting Russian dancers over to use in personal shows than making a success of tourism. Labour would not work in such a way.

It wanted annual tourism figures to reach at least 1.6 million in four to five years and it wanted tourism to inject €1.5 billion a year in the country.

For Labour believed in the ability of the Maltese and in the country's potential.

Labour had development plans for all the country's zones. New opportunities would come out of these plans which would build on what was good and beautiful in the particular regions.

Labour would also transform Gozo, creating new jobs in tourism and other sectors. In its regional plan for Gozo, Labour was proposing to spread all over Europe Gozo's name as a destination in its own right. Gozo would have its own promotion budget and a Labour government would reintroduce the Malta-Gozo subsidised helicopter service. Tourism enterprises in Gozo would be treated in a way that would make them feel privileged. Labour would also work to safeguard the environment in Gozo at the same time developing a golf course and yacht marinas.

Labour would encourage the reopening of three-star hotels in Buġibba as well as the revival of tourism activities in the area, such as diving. In the south, it would work for the opening of a five-star hotel.

His government, Dr Sant promised, would support all serious initiatives and ideas, irrelevant of where they came from. It would also fight bureaucracy and corruption.