The Nationalist Party yesterday launched its electoral manifesto reiterating its political credo in various areas before beefing up its proposals for the March elections through a specific electoral programme.
The manifesto, which has already been approved by the party executive after a year-long consultation process led by deputy leader Simon Busuttil, will be put for the approval of the general council tomorrow.
“We are a party with an ideology based on sound and firm principles. Unlike Labour, we are not populist and our policies do not change according to the popular mood in the country,” secretary general Paul Borg Olivier told journalists.
“We know what we believe in and know in which direction we are heading. That is why the PN is different from Labour. With us, everyone knows where he stands,” he said.
The manifesto is a set of principles described as the PN’s identity card by Dr Borg Olivier.
It includes the core beliefs and founding principles of all the policy decisions of the PN, from issues relating to the family and its role in society, to civil liberties and health issues.
“The PN believes that the Government should not interfere in people’s lives or that it has some kind of monopoly on the truth,” the manifesto states.
“The Government is not the master who controls your life but is there to create a fertile ground in which opportunities multiply and people are able to thrive by using their own initiative to develop their full potential.”
The manifesto touches on various bread and butter issues, ranging from education to work and health services.
Great importance is given to new realities within families, recognising the need for the party to be more liberal.
“We consider the family to be the essential building block of society and we will continue to develop policies aimed at giving families the strength, support and structures they need to thrive and survive in an ever-changing world.”
The manifesto specifies: “It is the duty of the State, in these different times, to provide a legal framework for cohabitation outside marriage in both heterosexual and homosexual relationships.”
Children’s rights will again be at the centre of the PN’s social policy with special attention being given to children at risk and those who are victims of difficult family situations.
Dr Borg Olivier also used the launch of the manifesto to fire the first shots at Labour’s proposals to lower the water and electricity tariffs stating that, while the party was studying the details, it appeared that the proposals were as hollow as the ones on VAT prior to the 1996 elections.
“We all know what happened when Labour eventually came to power in 1996. They drove the country into the wall,” he said.
“But more details on this later,” he quickly added.