Values, political integrity, principles and patriotism marked the maiden speech of MP Antoine Borg, who was sworn in last week after being elected to Parliament in a casual election to replace former Opposition leader Lawrence Gonzi.

After paying tribute to Dr Gonzi for his dedication and service to the country, Mr Borg recalled the memory of the late Pierre Muscat, a Nationalist MP from the same constituency, who died 23 years ago.

“I trust that I can emulate both these men in my political career and carry on in their footsteps,” he said. Mr Borg will be the Opposition spokesman for the EU presidency and EU funding and he promised to monitor the Government to make sure Malta made full use of the opportunities available.

He urged the Government to use the EU presidency to set the agenda on such issues as poverty and values. Mr Borg also spoke about the importance of creating jobs, investment in education and human resources training.

To this end, the Government and all stakeholders should get together and come up with a national holistic plan to cultivate a strong, competitive economic environment that would attract investors.

Entrepreneurship should be encouraged and procedures simplified because the self-employed sector was the oil that greased the wheels of the economy, he said.