The Labour Party will not only reduce electricity rates but will also cut water tariffs, Joseph Muscat pledged yesterday.

“It’s obvious. The Nationalist Party is just sowing doubts. Most of our water comes from power-guzzling reverse osmosis plants, so it only follows that if we reduce electricity rates, we will also cut water rates,” Dr Muscat said.

He was setting the record straight after his deputy, Anġlu Farrugia, said during a debate with PN deputy leader Simon Busuttil on Saturday that the party never said anything about reducing water tariffs.

Dr Farrugia clarified his comment later in the debate, along the lines of the argument made by the Opposition Leader but his original comment paved the way for his PN counterpart, Simon Busuttil, to raise questions about the measure, which is expected to be the central plank of the PN electoral manifesto.

Addressing a sizeable crowd of supporters in Rabat, Dr Muscat called on people to ignore the “campaign of fear” the PN was already waging at a time when the electoral campaign had not even started yet.

Yesterday was the last political activity the parties held before they both kick off their electioneering on January 7 for the March 9 election.

He assured people who, he said, were being targeted as part of this fear campaign, saying that stipends would remain, Arriva workers would not lose their jobs and those joining the civil service, leaning support assistants and soldiers need not worry if Labour was elected.

“I have said this before, I come from a (politically) mixed family, so tell me, how could I ever take such actions against my own family... You may not agree with us but you can surely work with us,” he said to a roaring applause. “Labour is the natural home of those who want change and change is exactly what the country needs,” he said.

Dr Muscat said Labour remained the underdog in the upcoming election, especially because of the way the Public Broadcasting Services had been reduced to a “shameful situation” of blatant bias. He said people could expect a positive campaign by Labour with messages of optimism rather than doom and gloom.

Referring to last week’s Budget vote, which the Government lost, precipitating an election, Dr Muscat said the Opposition could not vote in favour because it did not have confidence in the Government and did not trust it.

He said the PL’s pledge to retain the Budget framework would ensure that the country would not be harmed, pointing out that the stand was praised by the international ratings agency Fitch, which last week said that Labour’s decision to keep the Budget measures if elected to government should allay any fears of change in policy.

“Even from the Opposition benches we got a positive certificate,” he said.

He spoke about the creation of a new middle class and mentioned how those in risk of poverty had increased by 10,000 in four years. People had seen the real value of their wages go down by €8.46 since 2008.

“Under Labour, those who are doing well would continue to do well but our aim would again be to wipe out poverty. It is unacceptable that, in 2012, we have a situation where poverty is rearing its head again,” Dr Muscat said.

Turning to the justice sector, Dr Muscat reiterated his promise of a review of the justice system by the end of 2013 if elected to power.

It would be a reform that would deal with the way magistrates and judges are appointed and on the way they worked. There must be more “checks and balances” and the Commission for the Administration of Justice needed to be given more power to function effectively.

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