The Government was purposely avoiding European Commission queries on discriminatory bus fares until after the election, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said yesterday.
He accused “a retired minister and a PN candidate”, in a thinly-veiled reference to Transport Minister Austin Gatt and his right-hand man Manuel Delia, of stalling on the issue in an attempt to disclaim responsibility.
“This is their mess and the responsibility for it falls on them,” he told a large Żebbuġ crowd. “We will not tolerate people washing their hands of problems they created.”
Tourists and foreigners unable to prove Maltese residency are charged higher fares than locals when boarding a bus. The Commission believes the system violates common market regulations and has given the Government until the end of March to justify itself.
A Constitutional case filed last Tuesday is contesting differentiated water and electricity tariffs on similar grounds.
He said the PL expected Transport Malta to answer the Commission’s queries before the election on March 9.
Speaking at a square packed with PL supporters, Dr Muscat said that a Labour government would prioritise the reduction of youth unemployment.
“The Prime Minister claims there is zero youth unemployment. But the labour force survey shows that 15 per cent of our youths are unemployed, and that 10 per cent of all graduates don’t work,” he said.
Dr Muscat made a special appeal to Gozitan youths, telling them the PL’s proposals for a cruise liner terminal and foreign university campus in Gozo were “not just a promise to build another road or hand out funds”.
Voters who had not yet collected their voting documents only had a few more days to do so, he cautioned, adding an appeal for PL voters to vote first thing in the morning come March 9.
The PL leader praised last Wednesday’s debate, organised by The Times, as “an example of the way political debates should be”.
He also spared a few words for Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi’s assertion that he would not step down as party leader immediately if the PN lost the election.
“It’s symptomatic of a Prime Minister who’s been clinging to power for over a year,” he said. “I don’t know why so many people were surprised by his reply. I expected it, without a shadow of a doubt.”