Next election is about peace of mind - Gonzi
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said this evening that the next election could be the most important yet, as the country chose between peace of mind and failed policies.
Speaking during Independence celebrations at the Floriana granaries, he told supporters that the Nationalists were always the authors of change throughout history, ensuring independence in 1964, democracy in 1987 and EU membership in 2004.
Dr Gonzi said Malta now had to continue doing well for itself despite the international challenges, where countries which used to be admired now floundering.
"Our diligence has helped us overcome the challenges but we are still at a very delicate juncture," he said.
The PN Government managed to create 20,000 jobs in four years - despite everything going wrong - but the next four years needed the creation of another 20,000, if not more, in order to keep up with the rate of graduates, he said.
He said children must continue to be given the best education opportunities. "We cannot take things for granted or take risks," he said.
Dr Gonzi said jobs had to be created for everyone, including pensioners, who could now work without losing their pensions and the increasing number of women who opted to seek a job.
Dr Gonzi spoke about the PN's billboard "Labour won't work", saying that although many people did not like to talk about the past, one could not ignore the fact that Labour failed every time it was given a chance to prove itself.
"If a doctor gives you medicine that makes you even more sick, you do not call the doctor again," he said, adding that the greatest figures of unemployment were always under Labour administrations. He said leader Joseph Muscat was against EU membership and had given wrong advice on the economy, time and time again. Meanwhile, Labour MEP Edward Scicluna has continued to advocate Mintoffian economics.
Dr Gonzi said the PN had changed the country from its core without experimenting with people's futures. He said a prime example of this was in the financial services sector. He concluded by saying that a main priority for the next Government would be to ensure energy supply since the economic growth since 1985 meant an increase in demand from 190 megawatts to 670 megawatts, projected for 2015.
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34 Comments
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Peter Simpson
Sep 18th 2012, 15:08
How can we have peace of mind with the 6 billion euros of disgraceful debt Dr Gonzi's Party is bequeathing to our children? GonziPN's continued addiction to more debt will ruin us! Some peace of mind!
Marie Roberts
Sep 18th 2012, 11:09
Peace of mind for who? The ones who are having to foot the bills or the ones implementing them?
William Caligari
Sep 18th 2012, 09:39
'Peace of mind" qal il-Prim Ministru
Mhux ahjar qalilna kemm sa' jhalli dejn tal-pajjiz kif jispicca
hu, wara 8 snin bhala Prim.Ministru?
Kemm tghallem il-poplu Malti sur Prim.Ministru!!!
Peace of mind, l-aktar meta jasal l-ahhar tax-xahar,
nistaqsu kemm sa' joghla l-fjuwil?
meta jasal il-kont tad-dawl u ilma, dak peace of mind ehh?
Min capcaplek meta ghedt dan id-diskors, Onor.Sinjur?
Zgur mhux il-poplu hawn barra!!!!
mario scerri
Sep 18th 2012, 08:49
Din ikkupjata minn B'Gonzi mohhok mistrieh kullhadd jaf kemm kien hawn serhan il-mohh tul dawn l-4 snin u nofs.
Staqsu lil...............
1. Tat-Tarzna.
2. Tal- Go.
3. Tal-Linja.
4. Lil-Pulizija.
5. Ta l-Air Malta.
Charles Muscat
Sep 18th 2012, 12:00
Erba snin u nofs jew 20 sena? Xorta ma fimt xejn habib.
R Axisa
Sep 18th 2012, 08:40
There's no peace of mind for many - just remembering the 600 / 500 euros weekly increase in your pockets behind our backs! The thought of it still makes me shiver! This was the tip of the iceberg as regards credibility.
Peppi Borg
Sep 18th 2012, 08:17
Gonzipn hasn't yet realised that it already started on the wrong track where electoral campaign matters. Scaremongering, scaremongering and more scaremongering, a one man show with the prime minister as the centre of attention every evening and occasion, disrespect towards the opponents, theatrical hugs with the cabinet, looking at the past .... . What peace of mind Dr.Gonzi? Almost worst illiteracy rates in EU? Exorbitant utility bills? Cost of living increasing by the month? Long lists for health services? Environment getting worse by the day? No thankyou.
joseph saliba
Sep 18th 2012, 09:06
The challenges you mention indicate the success of the PN administration.
1. We can now compare ourselves with EU standards.
2. Pay for what we (and not what others) use.
3. Prices (cost of living) increase with the demand. e.g. air travel tickets.
4. The better the health services the heavier the pressure on the hospital.
5. Environmental awareness.
While being the catalyst for all these new achievements the PN gov. is striving to cater for the shortcomings emanating from personal experiences of citizens who are now free (TG) to voice their complaints and suggestions.
maria mallia
Sep 18th 2012, 08:14
YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN - yes THIS TIME it will be peace of mind with you out of the political scene & the nationalist party in opposition. It's no profecy it's only common knowledge!!
Antonia Vella
Sep 19th 2012, 15:47
agree 100%
mario genovese
Sep 18th 2012, 08:13
What a lot of nonense, I remember a modernised Spanish Inquisition in the 60's, one voted labour and was excommunicated thus barred from receiving Sacraments.
mario genovese
Sep 18th 2012, 08:11
With all due respect our Prime minister must have been living abroad prior 1971 and therefore is excused when he states that PN ensured Independence - yet we had a British Governor and most of our land was a no zone to Maltese Nationals in general apart from the fact that his Uncle made sure that all were free to vote according to their beliefs when he re-instated a sort of 20th century Spanish Inquisition. Y
Jeffrey Mallia
Sep 18th 2012, 08:04
If you want peace of mind for the peoples......show that you really care for the peoples.......CALL AN ELECTION NOW............
John L Galea
Sep 18th 2012, 07:58
Definitely peace of mind we didn't have under GOnziPN.
He should have said that next election is about "Sticking to Power at all Costs".
Jonathan Scerri
Sep 18th 2012, 07:28
Peace of mind, for whom?
James Grech
Sep 18th 2012, 07:23
Serhan il-mohh jew apatija?
mark borg
Sep 18th 2012, 07:14
your scaremongering is going to land you nowhere, but to the largest defeat/landslide ever.....dr.Gonzi....Malta's worst PM in history.
Charles Vella
Sep 18th 2012, 08:09
Sure Mark, the world was in a recession, yes, you still lived a good life, and there where no need for austerity measures like the countries of Cyprus, Spain, Italy, Greece and now, with a labour government, France too is taking austerity measures, with the people saying 'this is not what we voted for, this is not what Hollande promised' - Don't worry, your labour will win the next election... some people need to taste the bad apples to realize they have been eating the good ones for a long time.
Apart from that, the 1996 Labour government brought Malta to it's knees, and this with no recession... this when the world was booming!! Same applies for the era between 1971 and 1987... the whole world was developing with the free trade area (today it's called the EU) and we where out of it, and friends with 3rd world communist and dictatorship countries... north korea, cuba and Libya!
We will soon find out who the worst Prime Minister is, and I surely do hope that the PN will hold the Labour Party accountable when they will ask the EU for help, once our economy fails! Like it has always done under a Labour government.
You are very wise in saying that Dr. Gonzi is the worst PM in history... I guess you don't remember the co opted KMB when he was Prime Minister!! All he use to talk about is 'inkissru hemm, u inkissru hawn... ahhh yes, and the electoral promise of tearing down the new airport terminal" - Il Labour passat tal misthijja ghandu, xejn aktar!
charles tabone
Sep 18th 2012, 07:03
Peace of mind? On What? Utility prices rising, cost of living getting out of hand, waiting lists galore, free medicines out of stock,waiting for hours on end at emergency unit in Mater Dei, seeing PM and Ministers robbing the coffers of hundred's of Euro per week, watching the jugglers at MEPA doing the impossible foe the sharks while choking the minnows, letting retailers abuse of VAT, assisting to more VAT scandals, accepting promotions to the most blue eyed boys. and f'darna bla biza' awaiting criminals to ransack our houses, seeing our pockets being holed as we cannot make ends meet.accepting MP's who absent themselves from parliamentary sittings.etc. The list is very much longer and keeps the citizen out of breath. Good riddance Dr Gonzi.
mark borg
Sep 18th 2012, 06:56
peace of mind for the clique......you wish !
Joseph Arpa
Sep 18th 2012, 06:42
Yes Peace Of Mind once GonziPn and his group of arrogant ministers are gone!! I'm tired of hearing them tell us fairy tales on a daily basis.
Carmel De Gabriele
Sep 18th 2012, 05:55
With A 500 Euro increase per week it's definitely peace of mind for you!!
CRYING FOR VOTES!!!!
Lawrence Fenech
Sep 18th 2012, 04:31
Certainly, when we see the end of the GonziPN administration, a clique of scandals, arrogance, nepotism and waste of maltese taxes. You have made one big mess of politics, you were not born to be a politician.
Michel Bencini
Sep 18th 2012, 02:49
The PM is right on all counts. The only problem is that human nature tends to take things for granted and normally wants a change of menu. For those who believe that Malta is in the frying pan, the only option is either more of the same or the very fire itself. Too bad no one has 20/20 vision or a crystal ball to find out but history is always bound to repeat itself for better or for worse.
Ben Agius
Sep 18th 2012, 02:19
WHOSE peace of mind???
Renald Borg
Sep 17th 2012, 23:49
Edward Scicluna proposing Mintoffian economics is a big fat LIE.Scare mongering has began...election is imminent.
Pippo De Marco
Sep 17th 2012, 23:34
It is true that PL is untested and a term under Joseph Muscat might be disastrous for the country. But what the PM refuses to accept is that HE is the reason why seasoned PN voters are looking to change.
Despite the rhetoric, when the day finally comes I believe that many disenchanted PN supporters are likely to abstain and JM will creep in through the back door. However, a refreshed PN under the leadership of someone vibrant and unstained by past misdeeds would surely be re-elected for another term.
But maybe a term under Labour is just the excuse that PN is looking for in order to drop the dead donkey.
D Mifsud
Sep 17th 2012, 23:27
I must admit that this time GonziPN is right. Call the election so we all get peace of mind
Joe Smith
Sep 17th 2012, 23:11
yes .. peace of mind is due when your time (GonziPN) is up!
m. borg (slm)
Sep 17th 2012, 22:53
Is Dr Gonzi ashamed of his family name now that he is desperately trying to remove the gonzi from gonzipn?
This feeble attempt only goes to show that gonzi himself has recognised the fact that gonzipn is and was a total failure otherwise he would not try to REBRAND.
So since gonzi himself recognises that he was a failure how can we believe his rehashed logo PN serhan-il-mohh.
He promised this way back in 2003 or even before which only means that both PN and gonziPN have failed to give us "serhan il-mohh" then otherwise he would not be promising it once more
Joseph Zerafa
Sep 17th 2012, 22:52
Next election is about peace of mind - Gonzi, meaning that we all be getting the EUR500 weekly wage increase?
A. Schembri
Sep 17th 2012, 22:43
''the Nationalists were always the authors of change throughout history,'' bidla daqs kemm amel mintoff ma ghamel hadd ghax qajmu minn zmien l medju evu pajjiz.. Bidliet socjali , ekonomiki u politici (helsien,republica)
Joseph Brincat
Sep 17th 2012, 22:38
Dr Gonzi said the PN had changed the country from its core without experimenting with people's futures
O yes i can see the future >> 6 billion euros debit which we have to pay >> god help us !!!!
B. Cachia
Sep 17th 2012, 22:27
I must say I'm not convinced by the argument that, for our peace of mind, we should have the same party in government for ever.
Please choose the reason of your report below: