Gozitans were given assurances by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat yesterday that the pledges of a cruise liner terminal and a yacht marina would be delivered.

Speaking in Xewkija, Dr Muscat said Gozitans should not doubt that such projects would be carried out as the government had already delivered on more than a third of its electoral pledges.

“When you see all this work carried out in the first year, how can Gozitans doubt that we won’t deliver on other pledges?” he asked.

He urged those who voted Labour in the last general election, because of the promise of cheaper utility rates, to confirm that vote by expressing confidence in the government.

We created over 300 jobs on this island

Dr Muscat made no reference to the news that broke out in the afternoon, that Labour’s MEP candidate Cyrus Engerer had been found guilty of distributing pornographic photos of his ex-boyfriend.

He spoke at length about the government’s achievements in the first year of the new administration, including the promise to create jobs in Gozo for the Gozitans.

“We pledged to create employment in Gozo and created over 300 jobs on this island in the first year,” he told the crowd.

On the other hand, the last Nationalist administration brought a company to invest in Gozo but it failed to pay its workers.

He mentioned other initiatives such as cheaper petrol, stability in fuel prices, cheaper uniforms, top-ups for minimum wage earners and lower income tax. These, he said, would all leave more money in people’s pockets.

Half-way during his speech there was a brief moment of commotion in the crowd when MEP candidate Joseph Cuschieri fell off his chair.

The event was also addressed by Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly Justyne Caruana who described Gozo, specifically Xewkija, as a “Labour fortress”, saying the village was the first place which developed Labour’s “soldiers of steel”.

She also pleaded for “patience”. “A lot of work is being done but we need to see gratitude. We know there are people who are suffering but our work needs to be appreciated. What happened over 25 years cannot be solved in one year,” she said.

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