Water and electricity bills will not go up despite rising oil prices because the government cares about families, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.
“We put the family before anything else and we know that families cannot cope with more burdens. We are not clinging to power. We are clinging to families,” he said, adding that the government would absorb the costs.
Dr Gonzi was speaking in Sliema where he was given a warm welcome as he proudly listed the area’s government projects.
Finance Minister Tonio Fenech also spoke about energy bills, arguing that higher prices would endanger factory jobs and diminish people’s purchasing power – arguments made by the Opposition and various lobby groups when prices soared in late 2009.
Mr Fenech added that although keeping the bills static reduced Enemalta’s sustainability, the government chose to protect families and jobs. It would find the money by making “sacrifices” within each ministry.
Tourism Minister Mario de Marco said the government wanted the industry to remain viable and utility bills were a key operation cost for businesses.
During the party activity, Dr Gonzi was flanked by a Sliema family and a pensioner, who spoke about how the works in Bisazza Street, St Anne’s Square and George Bonello Dupuis garden made their lives easier.
Dr Gonzi said the government only wanted the best for families and took pride in prioritising open spaces, education and healthcare.
He also made an appeal for road safety, passing on the message from a mother whose daughter was involved in a car accident which could have been caused by a drunk driver. Dr Gonzi said Labour leader Joseph Muscat had done nothing to solve the dysfunctional PL-led Mosta council.
“But I took the decisions that had to be taken in Sliema, one after another. That is the difference,” Dr Gonzi said, before going back to the Mosta council fiasco and questioning why Dr Muscat never took action.
“You (Dr Muscat) had a former general secretary, Jason Micallef, who was well aware of what was happening in Mosta... but the only thing you did was promise to make him head of the Public Broadcasting Services when you become Prime Minister. That’s why we won’t let you become Prime Minister,” Dr Gonzi said to loud booing against Mr Micallef.
However, the Prime Minister made little more mention of the two-year crisis in the beleaguered Sliema council which has just been dissolved, forcing residents to go to the polls a year early, on March 10.
In the latest instalment, embarrassing recordings have emerged of PN councillor and candidate Julian Galea and former mayor Joanna Gonzi making disparaging comments about other councillors.
The PN made Mr Galea apologise for his comments – which included the declaration that he pays Labour employees less than Nationalists. However, Mr Galea remains a candidate and was present at yesterday’s activity.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party said the PN could not be trusted on electricity bills, having promised not to increase the surcharge in the 2008 election only to introduce the highest tariffs in history.
“Once [PN] won the election, it forgot its social conscience,” the party said, adding that the government was now expecting gratitude for not raising bills further.