‘Winning the vote will not iron out the crisis’
Leader of the Opposition Joseph Muscat told Parliament that Labour wanted real economic growth to cut deficits, help businesses and create sustainable jobs. The government would win the vote of confidence but would not solve its crisis.
Dr Muscat predicted that within three months the government would make a major U-turn on the power station extension, announcing that it would be operating on diesel and not on heavy fuel oil. He also said that the government had failed to implement cuts in utility tariffs for the tourist industry according to an agreed plan.
The government was cut off from reality and was living in an atmosphere of surreal triumphalism. The Prime Minister was a political hostage within his own party and was endangering the stability of the country. His political leadership was weak and instead of facing the problem it tried to convince others that it did not exist. He had called this motion of confidence not to deal with the international crisis or the international price of oil or because of the situation in Air Malta and utility costs but because his majority was defective.
The Prime Minister had assumed responsibility for Minister’s Gatt failure and had appointed a task force under his leadership making a seventh change in the transport reform.
Dr Muscat said that the opposition had cooperated with the government on a number of important changes. From the outset, it had also supported the government on the Libyan conflict.
The government had lost its direction on a number of issues including divorce, which also showed the Prime Minister’s and the PN’s anachronistic position.
Dr Muscat said that the Prime Minister’s serious decisions meant increasing utility tariffs while at the same time increasing his and the Cabinet’s salaries by €500 per week. In other countries, politicians had declared that they would be freezing their salaries.
The opposition knew exactly what it wanted on the utility tariffs. It would consider the international situation and it would deliver what it promised without increasing the deficit or the national debt.
The Prime Minister had not kept his electoral promise of reducing income tax and that of reducing utility tariffs if oil prices fell below €85 per barrel.
The opposition had more than one solution on reducing utility tariffs while the government had discarded the one solution it had and which was later revealed by EU Commissioner John Dalli. He accused the Prime Minister of discarding this solution in the interest of the few. The government had also failed to explain how Malta exported more oil than it imported. He added that also the credit rating agencies agreed on Malta’s ratings they had also said that the government had failed to reach its financial aims.
The Prime Minister had also voted in favour of the EU recommendation to link retirement age with life expectancy. This either meant increasing the retirement age or making people retire at 65 years of age and not earlier.
The government had squandered taxpayers’ money on the Fairmount contract and in the new parliamentary building. The money to be spent on this building was 75 per cent more than the support that the government had given industry to safeguard jobs. These jobs were safeguarded because employers had a social conscience and did not lay off workers. Labour governments had feared conservative forces in introducing maternity leave, old age pensions, the minimum wage, free health care and housing for the needy. It did not fear anyone in making a success of Maltese banks, in setting up the Freeport and Sea Malta.
Dr Muscat concluded that the present crisis would persist because the Prime Minister was no longer at the helm of his party.
Labour deputy leader Anġlu Farrugia said the motion was the fruit of the mess created by Minister Austin Gatt and because Prime Minister felt that he was unstable and not strong enough. The government had lost all direction and was leading with just a few, becoming an oligarchy. It was power hungry.
The Prime Minister was weak with his ministers and strong with the citizens. Dr Gonzi’s leadership had failed. The national deficit reached €5 billion after all the national assets were sold and after Malta received EU funds.
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VINCENT WILLIAMS
Nov 9th 2011, 21:38
GonziPartitNegattiv supporters and its' allied wants to know how Labour will decrease the bills of electricity. The answer is very simple indeed but I am amazed how PN supporters forget their party's slogan a few years ago which was, "Money, money no problem".
PN supporters forget that during the 1998 election campaign the PN promised that if elected the party would decreased the electricity bills. So if PN did it. I strongly believe that the PL will do it as well!!
Philip Hili
Nov 11th 2011, 13:24
@ Vincent Williams.
Don't take the readers of this page for a ride!! You may cheat some readers of this page who are not familiar with such things within the PN when you write untrue comments, but you are not going to cheat me.
Could you please quote to me from the PN electoral manifesto of 1998, the page and chapter, the promise you have mentioned in your comment?
Thank you.
Pat Hobson
Nov 9th 2011, 16:46
What really amazes from the PN commentors below is, not one single question submitted to the PM as to how he's going to tackle and decrease the National Debt (which currently runs at over Euro 4.5 billion) and the deficit which is about 3.2% the GDP? Of course these are the known figures for the corporations' debt has not been taken into consideration (it is said that it amounts to approximate 90% the GDP, which makes us a prospective Greece in the making). One thing is for certain, that in the economic sector, there is more than meets the eye!
Mario Mifsud
Nov 9th 2011, 14:09
Oh Joseph Joseph. When are you going to come out with a solution. Don't you realise that the more you talk like this the more people are loosing faith in you? Since kindergarten we learned that 1 + 1 = 2. Yes Joseph it actually has an answer. Why do your talks always come to ZERO!!! We alraedy had one prime minister called that, we do not need another one thank you!!!
Charles Zammit
Nov 9th 2011, 12:29
Just tell us the people how you would do it better Dr Muscat !!! Promises Promises BUT No solutions . The adage " Empty vessels make most Noise comes to mind !!
Charles Zammit
Nov 9th 2011, 12:18
Tell us how you will do it Dr muscat ??
Mr R Rizzo
Nov 9th 2011, 11:20
What really amazes me is the fact that Negative Joe thinks he's a super hero with all the solutions to everyone's problems (very similar to the antagonist in the animated movie The Incredibles). He has nothing but a personal agenda to gain power, he doesn't even offer decent opposition. He looked up the word "opposite" on a children's dictionary and opposes whatever the government proposes. What's more is the way he implants hatred and discrimination towards the nationalist party (fellow Maltese citizens) through lies. Negative Joe likes pulling his followers by their noses feeding them with loads of infinite lies and only promotes negativity while promising surprise boxes as solutions. We're not living in heaven but neither in hell, so why does he depicts Malta as such, while enjoying being a pain in Malta's development. This guy is delusional, a very sad person with bad mental health issues, or worst still a shrewd person who will sell his very own mother just to gain power. Joseph is not a poodle any more, but a wolf in a sheep's disguise.... Franco as suggested by some, might be an example to follow, but Joseph, on the other hand is the exact opposite. How can a negative approach be the solution forward? This is not religion in the older days when people were alienated into fearing hell all the time, people learned how to question and only the most gullible sponges believes whatever is shoved down their throats. The government is not perfect, nothing is after all, however with positive feedback and constructive criticism one can right what's wrong and as long as that happens the outcome is a positive one. At such a high level mistakes can have quite tough repercussions and without unnecessary distractions some mistakes can be avoided (saving millions of euro in the process). Governing a country is always tough job and cannot in any way be taken lightly. It takes courage, guts and brains and not like JM thinks... it's not about keeping promises, but being practical and be proactive rather than reactive in certain situations. It's not about taxation and subsidies (everyone can be bold and play with numbers... and Sant knows something about it), it's about having a long term plan, investing sensibly with the scope to reap benefits and progress. Everyone should contribute for his country - it's easy to criticise and hack at the government Dr Muscat but how are you contributing to your country? You're just jealous of Dr Gonzi's title and of Dr Gatt's guts and as we say in Maltese "min imaqdar irid jixtri"!
Joseph Camilleri
Nov 9th 2011, 10:02
Typical Labour... Yesterday Anglu Farrigia said that utility tarrifs will be reduced... Thats cool. But... When asked how he said 'i dont know how the formula works' ...he is a lawyer and does 't know... I am a common man with logic, and it tells me that those who earn a decent good living out of their merit and hard work will make good for those who wi have their utility bills reduced!
For example, if today I pay 200 euro I will start paying 250 euro. This to make good for the single mothers who 'live alone' , the unemployed (who goes to work illegally - its evident every where) etc etc
Instead of labour saying they will curb these abuses, they are going to help them abuse more!
Dak li jaqla flus honesti mill hidma tieghu ta kulljum jrid jaqsam ma dak li ma jahdimx jew dak li m ghandux! Hekk sewwa Sur Joseph Muscat? Jien nahdem biex apparti li nighx hajja tajba u komda naghmel tajjeb ghal familja tieghi... Taht il labour rrid naghm tajjeb ghal dawk li jabbuzaw mi beneficcji socjali! Labour never changed!
John Scerri
Nov 9th 2011, 08:32
The opposition had more than one solution on reducing utility tariffs' which are ?
The government had lost all direction and was leading with just a few, becoming an oligarchy. It was power hungry.' Dr.Farrugia still seems to be living in the past when MP ruled with a 4000 vote minority and persisted in power until the last day ......I would call this poer hungry ...
I would rather assume that MLP have not found the right formula which will win them an election and as days go by they are losing ground with every failed attempt to desatbilise the government.