Opposition leader Joseph Muscat yesterday pledged that Labour will deliver on what it promises the electorate, unlike the Government which had spectacularly failed to fulfil three electoral promises.
Announce an election date, and we’ll unveil our plans- Muscat
Speaking at a press conference summarising last week’s party congress, Dr Muscat insisted that the promises being made by the Labour Party were feasible and would all be kept.
The Nationalist Party, he argued, had entered the 2008 election promising to bring down income taxes, effectively reform the planning authority and sort out hospital waiting lists.
“All three were a spectacular failure. And that’s left a bitter taste in people’s mouths, because they felt they had been taken for a ride.
“I want to reassure people that everything we say we will do, we are sure we can deliver,” Dr Muscat said.
That meant being responsible and not making promises with no intention of keeping them, he continued. Dr Muscat used the party’s recent position concerning an eventual minimum wage increase as a case in point.
Raising the minimum wage before securing solid economic growth was not realistic, he argued. “You need to generate wealth before you can distribute it.”
Dr Muscat then hit back at Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi’s suggestion that the PL’s position would mean a wage freeze.
“Of course, cost-of-living increases would continue to be paid. That’s a given, only the Prime Minister seems to not have understood that.
“And his statement isn’t an attack on us; it’s an attack on social partners.”
Dr Muscat also slammed the Government for its energy policy, which he said was nonexistent.
“It’s a farce. They build a power station designed to run on heavy fuel oil, only to then call for it to be converted to gas before it’s even been commissioned,” he said.
“Deadlines for the interconnector keep being stretched and we don’t even know if the Government has filed concrete plans for a gas pipeline to mainland Europe with the EU.”
Dr Muscat said differences between the two parties had “never been as pronounced” as they were right now.
He highlighted civil rights as a case in point, saying the contrast between the two parties was “visceral”, with the PL eager to discuss thorny issues out in the open.
There were some choice words for PN star candidate Simon Busuttil, who had mooted the possibility of Malta needing a bailout if PL economic policies were put into practice.
“Not only is that complete hogwash – it’s also very irresponsible of Dr Busuttil to set rating agency alarm bells ringing just to score cheap political points,” Dr Muscat said.
And as for those who attacked Labour for being big on promises but short on detail, Dr Muscat asked for the party to be measured by the Government’s own yardstick.
“The PN made its three key pre-electoral promises very close to the 2008 election, so what’s the rush?
“The Prime Minister won’t even say what he plans on doing if a motion of no-confidence is moved against the Health Minister in a few days’ time.
“We’ll play the same game. Announce an election date, and we’ll unveil our plans.”