Employers, developers and other businesses had welcomed the Labour Party’s energy proposal before the Nationalist Party exposed it as a gimmick, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.

The Malta Employers’ Association, the Malta Association of Hospitality Executives and the Malta Developers’ Association have all welcomed the PL’s long-awaited plan to reduce water and electricity bills.

But Dr Gonzi yesterday said they did so before they were made aware that the proposal, which Labour claimed would cost about €360 million, would in fact cost €600 million.

“The taxpayer will have to pay, bills will increase, industry will crumble and jobs will be put at risk,” Dr Gonzi said, as he replied to questions by journalists during a visit to a tomato farm in Mġarr. Dr Gonzi, accompanied by various MPs, toured the greenhouse of farmers Charles and Joseph Muscat who benefited from EU funds.

Journalists steered away from the subject of farming and took the opportunity to ask questions about the PL energy proposals.

He insisted it was vital for the PL to publish the full report. Labour’s consultants had indicated that opting for the gas pipeline, proposed by the Government, was cheaper than the PL’s proposal to build another gas-fired power station and gas-holding facility in Delimara. Yet Labour insisted on the more expensive option, he said.

“What is their interest in choosing a project that will result in more expensive electricity? So far the campaign must have cost about €1 million. Where is the money coming from?” he asked.

After the tour, and a lesson on the challenges of farming, Dr Gonzi addressed journalists and spoke about the importance of farming and fishing as “pillars of the economy”.

He said his Government had invested €80 million in the sector over the past eight years and a further €100 million had been allocated by the EU. The Government was in the process of negotiating more EU funding.

The Government also helped farmers by reducing the amount of national insurance they owed and changing regulations on the transfer of land.

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