The government would be moving legislation to ensure that any suspicion of corruption was investigated, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said this evening.
He said the Commission Against Corruption would be empowered to investigate any whiff of corruption and would have the tools to do so. At the same time, a Whistleblower Act would be enacted as another measure to ensure that truth always prevailed.
In an hour-long speech at a PN Mass Meeting on the granaries to mark the 46th anniversary of Independence, Dr Gonzi said the Maltese people had much to be proud of since independence was achieved in 1964, but much more remained to be done.
Malta, he said, needed to get more young people to follow post secondary courses, it needed to raise the participation rate of its workers, it needed to control wasteful spending and it needed to continue to strengthen families while recognising new realities, including cohabitation and assisted procreation, both of which needed to be regulated.
Dr Gonzi said that more needed to be done to make pensions adequate and viable.
Capital projects needed to be completed and more needed to be done to make the country cleaner and more competitive.
The government, he said, also intended to reform and strengthen Air Malta and Enemalta so that rather than being millstones, they were contributors to the economy.
The country also needed to continue to curb the government deficit.
Dr Gonzi said he was asking for the people to courageously take the decisions and carry out the changes which the country needed, in the people's own interest.
Earlier in his speech Dr Gonzi placed a strong emphasis on solidarity.
He recalled Pope Benedict's visit to Malta earlier this year and said that visit had served to remind the people of the values which had forged this nation, particularly solidarity, something which was as relevant now as it was in the past.
Independence, Dr Gonzi, was a feast for all the people, a celebration of what they had all managed to achieve in 46 years, not without sacrifice.
The world economy was still battling a storm and millions of people were still out of work, Dr Gonzi said, but the Maltese people could appreciate that in 46 years of independence this country had been strengthened and had averted the troubles other countries were going through.
It should be a source of pride, Dr Gonzi, said, that Malta had high quality health and education sectors which were completely free and which were the envy of other countries. He therefore welcomed the fact that the nurses' union had lifted industrial action and talks had been started for further progress to be made, together.
Solutions, he said, had to be found around the table if one really wanted the best for the country.
Malta was also one of only a few countries which gave a children's allowance and other social benefits and was also generous in its assistance to elderly persons.
Independence had also enabled Malta to take its place in the heart of the European institutions.
Near the end of his speech Dr Gonzi paid tribute to the Father of Independence, George Borg Olivier, and former Prime Minister, Eddie Fenech Adami, who had guided the country through stern tests but had still advocated national reconciliation.
Amid applause he also paid tribute to former President and Foreign Minister Guido de Marco, who, he said, always held Independence very close to his heart.
Dr Gonzi mentioned the Opposition only once, saying its role should not be to obstruct, but to criticise constructively and also to come out with ideas and to recognise what was good.
The government, he said, had taken unpopular but necessary decision which had enabled the country to weather the storms. There were more testing times ahead, he warned, but he was confident that they too would be overcome with courage.
The mass meeting was also addressed by PN General Secretary Paul Borg Olivier and tribute was made to former President Guido de Marco, with the crowd recalling the former PN Deputy Leader by shouting ‘Guido, Guido'.