The Nationalist Party today unveiled its latest billboard and pledged to continue working "tirelessly" to create 25,000 new jobs in the next legislature.

PN president Paula Mifsud Bonnici said the PN Government created 20,000 jobs in the past five years and saved another 5,000 through interventions during the financial crisis.

PN candidate and former trade unionist Gejtu Vella said this success was thanks to the good decisions taken by the government over the past four and a half years when the world faced the biggest depression since the 1930s.

While other unions were protesting around the world because of a lack of jobs, the unions in Malta complained about energy prices, he said, when asked about his objection to the increase in utility tariffs earlier this legislature.

Social Policy Minister Chris Said pledged to keep working "tirelessly" over the next five years to create 25,000 new jobs and defend the 153,000 jobs currently available. He said the Labour Government between 22 months lost 4,000 jobs.

The PN's electoral programme, which would be approved on Friday, would include a number of initiatives to keep boosting job creation in Malta and Gozo.

Among other things, a PN Government would reduce income tax to 25 per cent for those earning less than €60,000, while giving more tax credits to businesses, as promised in the Budget.

It would complete the bio-campus in San Gwann to create jobs in science and research. It would also continue to invest in new areas like financial services and aircraft maintenance, as well as traditional sectors like tourism.

PN would also continue to invest in Gozo by giving financial incentives to build five-star hotels or upgrade three and four star hotels. Financial incentives would also be made available for holiday farmhouses. There would also be a business centre set up in Rabat to facilitate investment,

Dr Said pointed out that Labour visited Gozo twice during this campaign but did not make any proposals.

Enemalta corruption allegations

Asked about the Enemalta corruption scandal, Dr Said, who is also Justice Minister, said the PN government always reported allegations of corruption to the authorities and action was always taken "regardless of the person involved".

"But there is a difference between suspicion and an allegation," he said, when asked why Frank Sammut was not reported to the police in 2004 when he was let go.

Dr Said refused to get into the case of Enemalta and had no intention of doing so but was sure that investigations would be carried out, unlike what happened under a Labour Government in the 1980s when institutionalised corruption was well-known but ignored by the authorities.

He said a PN government would continue to work to introduce the Whistleblower's Act.

 

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