Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said this morning that Opposition leader Joseph Muscat was making 'savage promises' all the time and to everyone. The people, he said, should be wary that the Opposition leader was making promises which were sometimes contradictory, and which could not be kept.
Speaking at the PN club in Mellieha, Dr Gonzi told his supporters to always protect democracy and not to take it for granted. He said he was scandalised how, a few days ago, Opposition leader Joseph Muscat launched a personal attack against an individual over Enemalta, when what he spoke about was untrue. This, Dr Gonzi said, was a throwback to the past.
Dr Gonzi welcomed the start of meetings he is having with various sectors of society and said the meetings were being held with those who requested them. Referring to his meeting with the Forum of trade unions, Dr Gonzi said that once the Forum had been recognised by the ETUC, it should also be recognised as a member of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD).
Dr Gonzi said that through his meetings he was also discovering 'savage promises' being made by Dr Muscat. He was promising everything at all times in exchange for votes, he said. And Dr Muscat's meetings were being held away from the public's eye, he said.
Dr Muscat was seeking votes and not the national interest, Dr Gonzi said. The government would reveal the false promises that Dr Muscat was making, and the people should be wary that he was making contradictory promises to different sectors - such as promising a permit for a development and then telling environmentalists that permits would not be issued.
Dr Gonzi said this was a government which cared. It was for this reason that after the Budget, it decided on a revision of the spending projections of the various ministries. However the cutbacks did not mean that the spending would be less than last year, only that the increase would not be as large as originally projected. This was being done in the national interest. Every cent of taxpayers' money had to be spent in the country's best interest.