Voters only had to look into their recent past to understand why they should place their faith in a Nationalist-tinged future, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.
We did this much in poor economic weather. Think of what we could do given clear skies
Launching the PN’s electoral campaign under the slogan Futur fis-Sod (A Sound Future), the Prime Minister urged voters to keep in mind the big picture of an international financial crisis when weighing up the Government’s achievements and failures.
“Every EU country except Malta and Germany has fewer jobs now than in 2008. And we did this while reducing 25 taxes, including income tax,” Dr Gonzi said.
The electorate knew where it stood with the PN because it had the proven results of this and other legislatures to go on. But those results were down to sound financial management, Dr Gonzi warned.
He went on to paint a dark picture of an eventual Labour government, recalling how “in 1996, Labour promised to end VAT. And the result was a disaster, with stipends turned into loans and Malta’s European reputation turned to zilch”.
Change was inevitable, but it was not always for the better, Dr Gonzi said. “There are several instances in Labour’s history when it brought about change for the worse,” he said.
He doubled the offensive. “Labour says we’ve been in power for 25 years, but often tries to hide its 22-month stint in government in the 1990s. That’s because those months brought complete ruin.”
Pointing to the party’s rainbow themed election logo, Dr Gonzi argued that the PN was “the party of diversity”, blind to colour, creed or sexual orientation.
He refuted the implication that procrastination on a cohabitation Bill or the party’s opposition to divorce suggested otherwise, arguing that the PN had worked hard to legislate in favour of minorities and had ensured the people’s will was respected at all times.
Dr Gonzi declined to elaborate on the roles being played by Transport Minister Austin Gatt and former EU permanent representative Richard Cachia Caruana in the PN electoral campaign, and insisted the party was not planning a Gozo mass meeting to coincide with the PL’s next weekend.
“All we’re having is an annual, long-standing lunch gathering that’s been going on for decades and that was first announced in early December. Labour needs to stop misleading people,” he said.
Asked if he felt politicians’ credibility was dented by their inability – or unwillingness – to pass a party financing law throughout the legislature, Dr Gonzi pointed to other, “more important” laws yet to be passed, such as that allowing expatriates to vote overseas.
It was also partly Labour leader Joseph Muscat’s fault, he added. “When I proposed setting up a select committee for institutional and Constitutional changes, Joseph Muscat walked out. It takes two to tango,” Dr Gonzi said.
Could he guarantee that PN candidates would not spend more than the €1,398 allowed by law in their campaigns?
“The law is there for everyone to respect and observe,” he replied.
The PN was not interested in “gimmicks” like Labour’s midnight campaign launch or overnight billboard blitz, he said.
“Work, health and education: this is the PN guarantee. We did this much in poor economic weather. Think of what we could do given clear skies,” he pitched.