Unsustainable electoral promises posed the greatest threat to Malta’s economy, the Chamber of Commerce president said yesterday.

Tancred Tabone made the statement in a brief speech welcoming Opposition leader Joseph Muscat to a dialogue session with chamber members.

He said Maltese businesses were being hurt by twin instabilities, within Libya and the eurozone. He also argued that the term “precarious work” had been hijacked and directed at employers operating within the remit of the law.

Reiterating the Chamber’s apolitical stance, Mr Tabone told Dr Muscat that the dialogue was an opportunity for him to present the Labour Party’s pro-business policies while giving Chamber members a chance to ask their questions directly.

He highlighted some issues likely to interest Malta’s business community, from the PL’s position on pension reform to electricity tariff reduction or its ideas on cutting down “unacceptable” social benefit abuse.

Dr Muscat told Chamber members that the PL’s vision for Maltese entrepreneurs could be summed up in one sentence: “We will let you get on with it.”

Removing bureaucratic hurdles would be key, he argued, but there would be those who would resist the changes.

“Policymakers often create more bureaucratic layers to leave a paper trail and ensure transparency. But I believe bureaucracy simply gives people more places to hide,” Dr Muscat said.