The Nationalist Party stood for change and brought about the best changes for everyone, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.
“The values of our party translate into measures for you,” Dr Gonzi said during Nationalist Party celebrations for Independence Day held on the Floriana Granaries.
In a meeting chaired by University lecturer Simon Mercieca, Dr Gonzi said his Government faced many challenges over the past eight years – from getting Malta into the eurozone to the recent Libya crisis. “No one could predict what was going to happen in Libya but we proved ourselves,” he said.
Taking a stand against the cruel acts that had been taking place in Libya was one of the “hardest decisions” that had to be taken.
“We were among the first few countries to speak out. We couldn’t just watch. Instead, we chose to be on the good side of history and values,” Dr Gonzi said.
Malta won the respect of other countries through its actions.
Dr Gonzi said his party was ready for the challenges that lay ahead and “will renew the country and ourselves”.
At the start of the meeting, Dr Gonzi took a few moments to thank his wife, Kate, who was present, and wished her a happy wedding anniversary, which fell yesterday.
Dr Gonzi referred to measures introduced by the Nationalist government, which gave people more spending power.
“See how we have improved the quality of your life,” he said.
Turning to manufacturing, Dr Gonzi said Maltese factories remained open while others in Europe had to close down.
“We want our manufacturing industry to grow, get stronger and employ people.” To achieve this, the Government had to invest in three areas: trained workers who were ready to learn new skills; a constant and guaranteed supply of energy available at the same price as Malta’s competitors; factories able to correctly dispose of certain waste locally.
“There are factories that still have to export their waste and this is an extra cost for them,” Dr Gonzi explained.
Dr Mercieca asked about the Nationalists who did not trust Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat but were not ready to vote for the Nationalist Party.
“I have always bowed my head to the will of the people,” Dr Gonzi said.
The Government had to make a number of hard decisions, which affected people, such as the privatisation of the dockyards and the public transport system.
“I know there were people who disagreed with us on certain positions that we took. This was a change for the good of the country,” he said.
However, he added, refusing to vote translated into a vote for the Labour Party.