Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi told thousands of supporters this afternoon that victory was 'close' but they had to work harder for it in the remaining two weeks before polling day.
He also said that the case of alleged drugs at the PL Safi club and the way how Joseph Muscat and Toni Abela had not reported it was unprecedented in Malta's political history and made both their positions untenable.
Speaking at a PN mass meeting in Naxxar, Dr Gonzi said many people were still undecided over the way they would vote, and he wished to assure them that the PN was the best guarantee for a secure future for their families.
"We need to persuade these people that the obvious and natural choice for another quality leap and job-creation is the PN," he said.
Along with job creation, health and education topped the PN agenda, he said.
"We are here to serve. We were given the privilege to form the government five years ago. We have no divine right to govern, but we believe that we can guarantee a secure future," he said.
Occasionally sounding hoarse, Dr Gonzi said that under the PN government, Malta had a record number of full time employees at 153,000, including a record 44,000 women. 11,600 elderly people were working compared to just 8,000 five years ago. The university population had risen from 8,700 to 11,700. There were also 6,500 studying at Mcast full time.
"The country is stronger, better than it was five years ago," Dr Gonzi said to applause.
He pointed out how the government had invested in sewage treatment plants and Malta now had the cleanest seas in the Mediterranean.
The government also invested in arterial and residential roads. 16km of arterial roads and 850 residential roads were rebuilt or surfaced.
He also highlighted Malta's position during the uprisings of the Arab Spring, particularly in Libya. The government, he said, had not hidden behind neutrality but used this neutrality to fight for what was right because truth always prevailed, Dr Gonzi said.
On March 9, he said, the people should vote for the process of change in Malta to continue, and the PN was best placed for this process.
A PN government, he said, would continue to open a new school every year, and it would create 25,000 jobs over the five years. Those who had precarious working conditions would be helped to have better conditions.
A vote for the PN would mean a continuation of records in tourism, improved health services and continued focus on fighting cancer as well as a new focus on diabetes.
Dr Gonzi said he wanted to thank not only those who applauded him, but also those who booed at the Mcast debate. "With us you can talk. You can boo us as much as you like, but we promise you jobs, stipends, a brand new €120 million campus and a country where you can express yourselves and be proud of being Maltese," he said.
"I promise you that when you graduate you will find a job waiting for you. This is our main target. Don't be disheartened. After what we managed to achieve in the past five, difficult years, we will continue to achieve good results because together, everything is possible," he said.
SAFI DRUGS CASE
Dr Gonzi said this week was characterised by scandals, especially that related to Joseph Muscat and Toni Abela.
Referring to the alleged Safi club drugs case, Dr Gonzi said this was very serious because the person aspiring to become Prime Minister had covered up a criminal offence. He did not even have the decency, with the least political and legal responsibility, to report the matter to the police.
A person had informed Dr Muscat of the goings-on at Safi club but no action was taken.
Dr Gonzi said Dr Muscat should be ashamed of himself. "He cannot aspire to become Prime Minister because we do not want someone who covers up a crime such as this because it could embarrass his party," he said.
"We never had this sort of thing in Malta's political history. The mask has fallen, and now the electorate knows what is happening," he said.
"We heard Anglu Farrugia saying that Dr Muscat committed a political murder but with Toni Abela, Dr Muscat is not using the same yardstick," Dr Gonzi said.
It was clear that Dr Muscat could not act against Toni Abela because "if Toni Abela goes, Joseph has to go too."
The positions of both Dr Abela and Dr Muscat were untenable because of these scandalous actions.
On March 9, Dr Gonzi said, the people should keep all this in mind.
Concluding, Dr Gonzi said the PN was ready to serve. This was the same PN of Eddie Fenech Adami and George Borg Olivier. The choice for the people was clear, he said, and the PN stood for jobs, health and education.