Labour in government would prioritise the introduction of the Whistleblower Act, laws on party financing and the removal of time-barring on political corruption, as its strong message was that people deserved much better, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said yesterday.
We do not want money to be wasted on commissions
He said these laws would be the first his government would enact along with the Budget for 2013.
Addressing the party’s mass meeting in Żabbar’s Labour Avenue, Dr Muscat referred to the oil corruption scandal, saying his government would prioritise measures to ensure full transparency.
“The situation is so serious that we need to deliver a very strong message. A clear message that the Maltese people deserve much better,” he said.
He said a Labour government would give the people of Malta the change in direction they were yearning for and action on things which mattered most to them, including a stronger education system, a better health sector, cleaner energy and a government that listened to them.
He spoke about the party’s proposals to increase the respect for the teaching profession and how his government would be investing heavily in teachers because these were the people entrusted with educating children.
He made no reference to the proposal to give all Year Four students a free tablet.
“We do not want money to be wasted on commissions but want to invest in education by not only building new schools but investing in teachers.
“We want to be one with teachers because we want them to be the best for our children,” he said.
He appealed to parents to thank their children’s teachers to show them that they appreciate their work.
Dr Muscat mentioned several of the party’s proposals aimed at achieving economic growth and jobs.
“March 9 is a point of departure. Our roadmap will achieve economic growth from which everyone will benefit through the creation of jobs and through a coalition between the Government, workers and employers.
“This party is the natural home for employers, who will be given the space to work with less bureaucracy because the country needs them to create more employment opportunities,” he said.
He thanked those people who worked within the party in the past and those who helped him bring down the walls around the party before it became a movement but made no mention of former deputy leader Anġlu Farrugia who, in an interview in The Sunday Times yesterday, spoke for the first time of how he was fired from the Labour Party after having been backstabbed by, among others, Dr Muscat himself.
The mass meeting was also addressed by Paul Bonello, managing director of Finco Trust, the firm representing those who lost their savings as a result of failed investments by Bank of Valletta.
He admitted that he had never voted Labour before but appealed to people to trust the party with their vote.
He said there was no space for incompetence, corruption and amateurism with Joseph Muscat, whom he described as a person who had no baggage and had the vision of ensuring that Malta really became the best in Europe.