PL leader Joseph Muscat this evening said there was no shame in being pro-business, since business brought with it work, tax revenue and prosperity.

Speaking in Qala, Dr Muscat said the PL was "a movement of workers, but also a movement of those who create work".

"If the Prime Minister wants to attack us for being pro-business, let him do so, because there is no shame in this. The difference between us is that the people we speak to are honest, and want a Malta that isn't of the few, for the few," he said.

He called on business owners to work alongside the PL, calling them "essential partners" in the party's efforts to generate economic prosperity.

Dr Muscat drew parallels between the PN pledge to publish its electoral campaign accounts and the PL policy of publishing its audited accounts every year.

"This Prime Minister even had an MP - Dr (Franco) Debono - who drew up a party financing law for him, but he did nothing with it," the PL leader told the Qala crowd.

He explained some of the party's Gozo proposals to the audience, saying that building a cruise liner passenger terminal would breathe new life into Gozo's tourism industry and make a career in tourism a viable choice for local youngsters.

"Don't pay attention to the polls, we are still the underdogs and we face an uphill path," he said as his speech drew to a close. "We must continue as we have done so far - by speaking and listening to everyone."