The Nationalist Party in Opposition made history yesterday by voting in favour of Budget 2013, in what leader Lawrence Gonzi described as “a message of stability and seriousness by a constructive Opposition”.

The Budget, he said, was an important tool that guaranteed fiscal, economic and political stability and this was a decision which the Opposition was taking in the national interest.

“The Opposition will be a constructive one, taking political decisions based on what it believes to be in the national interest, including voting for stability so the country can continue to create jobs.

“Never in recent political history has there been an Opposition that voted in favour of a budget. This decision shows political maturity and consistency,” he said.

He noted that this was the same Budget that had not passed in December because it had been shot down by the same party that was now presenting it.

At the time, the Labour Party in opposition had said it was voting against the budget because otherwise it would be casting a vote of confidence in the government.

“But we will not choose the road of political convenience by voting against. A good budget four months ago remains a good budget. What is the national interest? What do families need in the circumstances? The country needs stability and certainty.”

The Opposition would not oppose any budget measure and neither would it propose amendments to ministers’ pays as is usually done, “even though this government has a Cabinet which is twice as large as the one of the last legislature.

“We will vote in favour of the whole budget to assure credit rating agencies that the country is determined to have its finances on a sound footing and that we want to stimulate the economy to create more and better jobs,” Dr Gonzi said in his first address to Parliament as Opposition leader.

“We are taking yet another responsible decision, like the many we took over the past five years.

“There is a political price for the decision we are taking (to vote in favour of the budget). This is the price for ensuring stability,” he said.

Dr Gonzi, who in May steps down as leader of the Nationalist Party, warned that the Opposition would act as a watchdog to ensure that pre-election promises made by Labour would be kept.

At the same time, he offered the Government a “hand of friendship” to foster economic growth.

In return, he called on it to stop using clichés and roll up its sleeves to deliver results in what he warned was still a difficult economic climate.

“Our message is clear. The Government will find us to be in support of building on what we have achieved.

“However, we expect to be treated with dignity and not through insults as used in the President’s speech (during the opening session of Parliament on Saturday).

“Certain jibes could have been avoided. You were not capable of rising to the occasion,” he told the Prime Minister.

He listed the former Government’s achievements, including a record number of gainfully occupied and a female participation rate that had increased by five per cent in a year.

Dr Gonzi insisted the 2012 financial figures had been verified by the European Commission and accused the Government of conducting a “convenient accounting” exercise by omitting revenue of €66 million that Enemalta owes the Government in levies.

This created a spike in the deficit which was now over the three per cent mark, he said, leading to a possible excessive deficit procedure against Malta.

“This is gross irresponsibility,” he said.

Finance Minister Edward Scicluna later insisted that the figure had been well calculated and that the deficit had increased to 3.3 per cent due to overspending by the previous Government.

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