Cynthia Busuttil
Gonzi urges Labour and GWU to put national interest first
The Labour Party and the General Workers' Union should put the country's interests before partisan politics and help work towards a social pact, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.
Although Malta was weathering the global recession, a social pact was important in the current economic climate, making it necessary for all the social partners to work on an agreed programme, he said.
"The problems are not over and we need more reforms. We need to work together and need a social pact," he said during a political activity in Tarxien.
The social pact needed to ensure that the country remained competitive and continued to attract investment.
Dr Gonzi said a pact was also needed for Malta to retain its competitive edge. Although he failed to reveal prospective new investments which he mentioned for the first time a month ago during a mass meeting to mark Independence Day, Dr Gonzi said Malta was still competitive and attractive.
He said that when Joseph Muscat was elected as Labour leader, he had referred to a new political season. However, this could only be achieved if all the stakeholders worked together. His party had won the general election with the slogan that everything was possible and he invited the social partners to work together towards agreeing a social pact since the recession was not over yet.
The Prime Minister said that five years ago the country was close to reaching a social pact but the GWU then organised a street protest to cries of "We Will Rock You" while the Queen was on a state visit.
Referring to the Labour demonstration held yesterday, Dr Gonzi said he had still not understood the reason behind it, although he insisted that everyone was free to demonstrate.
On the upcoming budget, Dr Gonzi said employment would be a priority - the protection of jobs and creation of new ones. He expressed the hope that there would be positive talks within the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development in the coming days.
Although he had not forgotten the need to eliminate the deficit, at the moment the priority would be to retain jobs and create new ones for newly graduated students, in whom the country had invested heavily.
Dr Gonzi promised to retain the student stipends since they were an investment in the future and an incentive for more young people to take up further studies.
He said that, while it was imperative to attack abuses in social benefits, it was also important that genuine cases did not suffer. Single mothers were first and foremost mothers of a child, and it was important that children did not suffer.
"These are our values," he said, adding that, while abuse would be fought, the innocent should never suffer.
He again referred to the rising oil prices, now at the same levels as last year. Last week Dr Gonzi strongly hinted that the country should expect an increase in the price of electricity as a result of higher oil prices.
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lgalea
Oct 26th 2009, 21:10
Gonzi, how about you yourself putting national interest first and get rid of all the illegal immigrants which are costing us an arm and a leg besides threatening anf compromising our security?
J.J. Zammit
Oct 26th 2009, 14:03
Dr. Gonzi is very good at rethoric...he forgot what he himself promised a year and half ago, just a few days before the general election! He promised tax cuts and a health sector for free. He promised more transperancy, less burocracy and to be all the time near the citizens. Instead of all this we, citizens, were given back an unstable government, higher electricy and water bills and higher fuel prices. To add insult to injury he defined one his major electoral promises that of 'income tax cuts to 25%' as 'a gamblish decision'. I voted PN in last election and feel betrayed and disillusioned!!! I feel taken for a ride by Dr. Gonzi and his ministers!!! Yesterday he promised more help for post-graduate students - he should have corrected that statement and said 'more post-graduate help (scholarships) for students who form part of the inner circle of friends'. I would like PL to investigate how the MGSS scholarships of this year where distributed! Its a shame that people were not allowed to take a scholarship because there were not enough funds available!!! Dawk finanzi fis-sod!
Jimmy Magro
Oct 26th 2009, 12:08
I would like to limit myself to the energy prices as this is a national issue that can break the whole country, both families and enterprise. The price of oil has gone down to less then US$50 in recent months. How come the consumer (family and enterprise) did not benefit from such a low price? How come the pm only mentions the price of oil when it is going up and forget all about it when the price is going down? We cannot be treated like a basketball ball. Where are the institutions based on EU legislation that are supposed to be there to protect us the consumers. Where are the trade unions? When are we to learn what happned at Castille during this famous meeting that the President of the MUT spoke about? We do have memories as we are not a piece of stone that is used by the dogs to empty their bowels. Whatever is being cooked up in the corridors of power should be shared with the public through a public statement in Parliament and not through a party event or a media event where the Government speaks to inexperienced journalists.
James Grech
Oct 26th 2009, 09:20
"Dr Gonzi said he had still not understood the reason behind it" when referring to the demonstration. One only needs to be at par with what the people are feeling to understand why this demonstration was organised. Dr. Gonzi is again calling for a social pact, but what is government prepared to do? Is it prepared to be more accountable and transparent? Is it prepared to reduce its inefficiencies or those of its entities such as Enemalta? Is it prepared to take action against abuse, be it related to price hiking or otherwise? Is it prepared to talk and discuss and not be arrogant and take decisions based on personal targets? I think that these issues and more should be the first to be discussed and ironed out. Change needs to come from within Dr. Gonzi.