Labour leader Joseph Muscat this evening praised the people of Gozo for being participants and not mere spectators in the process of change which would be brought about with the general election on Saturday.

Speaking at a Labour mass meeting in Xaghra, Gozo,  Dr Muscat said Labour would be the best defender of the interests of the family.

For the new government, the interests of the family would come first, not the interests of the clique .

He said the Nationalist Party had lost contact with reality and with the people and the prime minister’s declaration that he would appoint Simon Busuttil as the interface between a new administration and the people was now too late.

Dr Muscat referred to the cooperation agreement between Labour and the FKNK, announced earlier this afternoon, and said the agreement would adhere strictly to EU regulations but would ensure local hunters and trappers were treated no differently to those overseas.

"Some hunters will be disappointed with the agreement, but we're not promising anything we cannot deliver. I want a clean conscience," he said.

Dr Muscat's mention of the agreement prompted a roar of approval from the Xaghra crowd. Dr Muscat, however, made it clear that any law-breakers would find "no place to hide".

That roar was matched some while later when Dr Muscat saluted Xaghra mayor Joe Cordina, who resigned his electoral candidature in the wake of allegations linking him to an ongoing scandal into oil commissions. Dr Muscat also had a special mention for former PL deputy leader Anglu Farrugia. "I look forward to the day when we can work together for this country," he said.

Dr Muscat reminded the crowd of some of the PL's Gozo-specific proposals, from a €50,000 tax credit for Gozitan start-ups to investment in a cruise liner passenger terminal. Those proposals, he said, would be accompanied by a €5,000 tax credit which employers would receive for each new worker they hired. But change would not come about unless people made it happen, he said.

"There's no point wishing for change unless you vote for it," Dr Muscat said as he urged those present to vote for "each and every" PL candidate on their ballot sheet.

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