The Labour leader’s dream for Gozo is that this island would become the economic motor of the country, he said this morning.

Speaking during a PL congress activity in Sannat he said:

“My dream for Gozo is for it to become the economic motor of our country. Instead of seeing it as a burden it should become strong enough to carry the whole country forward.”

Dr Muscat was speaking before member of the PL unanimously approved by a show of hands the guideline for Labour’s electoral manifesto on Gozo - jobs in Gozo for Gozitans

He said that this was the cry from Gozitans who wanted to be able to work and raise their families in Gozo without being forced to have to travel to Malta for work.

This was the second PL activity in its congress following yesterday’s which was about business, with businessmen calling to be allowed to work and for bureaucracy to be reduced.

Dr Muscat said it was important that the PL’s policies did not create contradictions or be disjointed. The PL’s policy guidelines on Gozo and on business worked hand in hand.

The guideline on Gozo, he said, emerged after an hour long discussion in Sannat where Gozitans from various walks of life spoke about the problems of double insularity and lack of amenities, including accessibility.

Dr Muscat said that the key to generate wealth and create jobs in Gozo was tourism.

Gozo should be seen as a distinct destination with all the connections necessary to be an accessible place for Gozitans, Maltese and tourists so that it could be considered a place of investment, not just in tourism, but also in manufacture, services and retail.

The Labour leader said he was glad that the discussion mirrored the efforts by the PL in the past two years in that Gozitans were crying out for god jobs in Gozo so that even if some wanted to thrive in Malta, the EU or other continents, they would not be forced to do so.

The point of the congress, he said, was to listen to the experts “and the experts on Gozo are Gozitans,” he said.