Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said this evening that Malta’s downgrading by credit agency Standard and Poor’s should be taken as a first warning that with Joseph Muscat as prime minister, Malta would be taking a gamble and risking its finances.
Addressing an electoral campaign activity in the main square of Vittoriosa, Dr Gonzi said that for every action there was a reaction and Dr Muscat’s choice of not joining the government and voting for the budget has led to the downgrading of Malta’s credit rating.
“We had warned Dr Muscat before the budget that once he agreed with its contents he should have voted for it. He chose his party over the country and now we have the result.”
Dr Gonzi warned that the wrong choice at the next election would put Dr Muscat in power and in a position to continue to choose wrongly for the country to the detriment of the people’s wellbeing and hinder investment in education, health and well-paid jobs.
“With us (PN) everyone knows that the country moves forward and that we are synonymous with certainty and sound finances. Dr Muscat it’s a risk not worth taking,” he said.
Mentioning Labour’s energy proposal as just an example of Dr Muscat’s bad choices, he said that if implemented the project will result in a new power station which the country doesn’t need and a big hole in the country’s finances.
The PN leader said the PN wanted to continue to reduce power tariffs sustainably. He said that the PN would issue its proposals “at the opportune time” . It would show how more investment would be made in the energy sector without harming the country’s economy.
Dr Gonzi said that despite the emphasis on the power rates, the electorate must keep in mind that this is just another important issue.
“We need to choose also to secure the most important and dear things we have: work, education and health,” he said.
Dr Gonzi said that although no one should dwell on the past, the fact that the PN could discuss politics in Vittoriosa and Zejtun was in itself a certificate of how the PN has managed to change the country.