Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi today accused the Opposition of only going after popular sentiment, instead of seeing what is best for the country.

Speaking at the conclusion of a three-day meeting of the PN General Council, Dr Gonzi said efforts were being made to distract the government from the country’s most serious problems.

The government’s main priority, he said, was for Malta to weather the economic crisis and to emerge in better shape to grasp the opportunities once the cycle turned.

He said the Labour Party’s plan to initiate a court case against the VAT charged on vehicle registration tax was only a decision to gain votes.

The country would not gain if the court case was won or lost.

Dr Gonzi said the government, one year after the election, had already implemented one-fourth of its electoral promises and it was committed to implementing every single one of them.

He said the Cabinet would today take the final decisions on the reform of local government.

The MEPA reform proposals would be the subject of a national conference before final parliamentary approval.

Dr Gonzi said the government did not enjoy taking unpopular decisions, as in the case of the power tariffs, but tough decisions had to be taken and would need to continue to be taken in the best interests of the country and the people,

In his speech Dr Gonzi criticised Labour Leader Joseph Muscat for still insisting that Malta was a net contributor to the EU, despite being proved wrong.

PN general secretary Paul Borg Olivier criticised Dr Muscat for organising a protest against the government as part of Freedom Day celebrations when he himself had said that national feast should inspire unity.

He also criticised Dr Muscat for being absent for seven out of 10 state activities since he was elected Opposition Leader.

In a reaction, the Labour Party said the Prime Minister was not reacting to what the people were feeling, including the hardship caused by the tariffs, inflation and illegal migration.