Labour Party leader Joseph Muscat laid stress on stability and the need for prudence in decisions to be taken in 2012, during his end of year message yesterday.

Reviewing the turbulent year that had just passed, particularly the euro crisis, Dr Muscat said Malta needed a leadership that made the most of the best quality of the Maltese.

“Prudent leadership guarantees economic, environmental and social progress that Malta needs to be prepared for a brilliant future.”

His comments come as Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi grapples with a threat by backbencher Franco Debono not to vote with the government unless the justice and home affairs portfolios are split.

Dr Muscat said that in 2011 the people had made a clear choice in favour of civil liberties when they voted for the introduction of divorce.

“It was a choice we arrived at following an intensive debate which was at times divisive… Now that the choice has been made, and life continued normally, we are seeing those divisions heal and dissolve in a way which yet again ushers in unity and solidarity among the Maltese.”

He also referred to the revolutions in North Africa, and said that the Mediterranean has been reborn.

“Malta had an important role to play, where the people were united in their will to help neighbours and friends,” he said, while warning that the situation remains delicate and that the Maltese should be ready to give more help.

The euro crisis featured prominently in General Workers Union president Victor Carachi’s speech. He warned that while Malta’s situation was better than other countries, things were not as rosy as the government made them out to be.

He warned of increasing number of precarious jobs, which, he said, were “spreading like cancer” in all sectors of the economy and contributing towards increasing poverty in Malta.

“The government should be reminded that precarious work is the symptom of an economy that is not performing well. It is not the number of gainfully occupied that matters but the number of decent jobs being created which ensures our citizens are living a decent life and can plan for the future,” he said.