PN always on the right side of history – Gonzi

Throughout the Libyan conflict, the Nationalist Party was once again on the right side of history, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday during the Independence Day celebrations.

The Labour Party wants to win the election. But we want you, the people, to win the election

“In all the country’s greatest developments of the past century you can see the name of the Nationalist Party etched in letters of gold,” he told a mass meeting at the Floriana Granaries.

In a speech exuding confidence, focusing mostly on the country’s economic achievements and its handling of the Libya conflict, Dr Gonzi steered clear of mentioning more controversial issues such as Moody’s recent negative revision of Malta’s economic outlook or the country’s rejection of the PN’s stand on divorce.

He said the PN was proud of working as hard as possible to join the now seriously troubled Eurozone because this meant that Malta did not get washed away by the inevitable economic storm which arose.

Although he ended his speech with the words “Yes, together we will win again”, he insisted throughout his speech that the Nationalist Party never took decisions according to whether they would win or lose elections. Instead, the PN took the right decisions in the people’s interests.

“The Labour Party wants to win the election. But we want you, the people, to win the election,” he said, adding that whenever the PN put faith in the people, they placed their trust in the Nationalist Party, “one election after another”.

He punctuated his speech with constant digs at Labour leader Joseph Muscat for making people wait till the election to announce any ideas. His audience replied with constant cheers of: “We love you Gonzi, we do.”

Dr Gonzi said Malta was surrounded by troubles, with a spectacular revolution in the Arab states and economic, financial and social troubles across Europe.

“We will be wrong if we believe, like Joseph Muscat does, that we are living in a bubble and what is happening around us does not affect us... But during such moments of difficulty we need the ship to continue to be steered by safe hands, not left in the hands of those who do not know where to go or do not want to say where they want to go.”

Listing the country’s achievements in employment, education, healthcare, investment and economic development, Dr Gonzi promised to stick to his promise of reducing the deficit significantly.

“If we got these results when everything is against, imagine what we can achieve when the storm subsides,” he said.

He also appealed to Air Malta workers to take the voluntary retirement schemes that would be offered in the coming days, so that the country can take another step forward.

Dedicating the culmination of his speech to the Libyan conflict, he said that, as Libya’s neighbour, Malta did not sit on the fence or hold back, but played an active and direct role. On the other hand, the Labour Party waited to see the winner emerge before condemning the Gaddafi regime.

“Others are ashamed of the past, washing their hands of the present and do not care about the future. We are proud of our past, proud of our present... proud of the future we are preparing for you,” Dr Gonzi said, as he called on Muammar Gaddafi to surrender and hand himself in to the authorities.

Meanwhile, PN general secretary Paul Borg Olivier spoke with pride about the country’s independence achieved 47 years ago and said the Nationalist Party always showed faith in its country.

He said Malta had become world-famous for the solidarity it always offered people in need.

“How can you not feel proud when your country welcomes Sweyga Mullah, the butchered nanny of the Gaddafi family,” he said, adding that the country also welcomed other injured Libyans.

Malta had become an authority in its region, gaining stature in the past six months as one of the front-running actors in the EU, he said.

Meanwhile, the Labour Party threw the regime and the Libyan people in the same basket.

He said Labour official Alex Sciberras Trigona should resign in light of recent documents showing ties between the Labour Party and the Gaddafi regime during the worst days of terrorism.

He challenged the Opposition to not only say how much money it received directly or indirectly from the blood-stained hands of Gaddafi, but return the money to the Libyan people. While leaders are usually judged after 100 days in office, Joseph Muscat has been Opposition leader for 1,000 days but had not offered any solutions for the country. “Populism drives us into a wall,” he said.