The government was clearly showing it lacked a vision for the country’s future and was only interested in public relations that were now backfiring, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said yesterday.

Addressing a Nationalist Party activity in Attard, Dr Busuttil accused the Prime Minister of being short on ideas and solutions in the face of rising unemployment. He urged the government to pull up its socks before it was too late.

“Every time there is a problem, Joseph Muscat tries to solve it with some bombastic press conference.

“We need solutions and not a vision that is not even worth the big surprise of 2c,” Dr Busuttil said. He was referring to the Prime Minister’s announcement of a 2c cut in the price of petrol last Wednesday.

We need solutions not a vision that is not even worth the surprise of 2c

Speaking in the presence of the European People’s Party’s candidate for the presidency of the European Commission, Jean Claude Juncker, Dr Busuttil said people were contrasting the vision the PN had when in government – working hard to make Malta a success in the EU – with the prevailing lack of ideas of Dr Muscat’s government.

Referring to the unveiling of the employment policy yesterday, Dr Busuttil said the PN would be studying it in depth then take a stand. However, it was clear that the government did not know in which direction to take the country.

“We created jobs and a sound economy through the introduction of various economic activities such as aviation, financial services, the maritime industry and gaming. In one year, Labour have not come up with a single new idea.”

On the upcoming European Parliament elections, Dr Busuttil said the electorate had the opportunity to send two messages.

On the one hand, voters could send a warning to Dr Muscat to change course, stop campaigning and start governing. On the other, they could also give a boost to the PN to show that it was possible for the party to win the next election in four years’ time.