Updated at 9.29pm with Fearne speech
Labour Party deputy leader Chris Cardona had a heartfelt message for the Prime Minister on Friday, telling him not to forget how much the Labour Party loved him throughout his political career.
Turning to the Prime Minister during the PL annual general conference, Dr Cardona said he was certain the Prime Minister’s decisions would always put the country first.
“Don’t forget how much we loved you when you became leader and throughout your political career,” the deputy leader for party affairs said.
The Nationalist Party, on the other hand, had not managed to inspire anyone with new proposals during the nearly two years it was under the helm of leader Adrian Delia, Dr Cardona said.
“When is this ‘new way’ coming?” he asked, playing on Dr Delia’s campaign slogan.
“The only thing that came close to a new way is a “one-way”- that went on being negative as it had been for years. On election day, I’m certain the country will say: “No way,” he said to applause.
He could not blame the Nationalist Party, he told his audience, since it must be difficult to come up with new ideas.
Earlier during the conference, CEO Randolph Debattista announced that the Labour Party had registered a surplus of over €900,000.
Turning to the upcoming May elections, Dr Cardona said Nationalist MEPs had worked to tarnish Malta’s reputation abroad in the hopes this will drive away business and investment.
“Nationalist Party MEPs realised the biggest attack they could level at our country was to threaten investment and jobs. If it weren’t for the work of Maltese MEPs, Maltese and Gozitans would have lost their jobs,” he said.
Nationalist MEPs’ performance was based on how well they could tarnish the country’s reputation, Dr Cardona told supporters, as he urged everyone to cast their vote in next month’s elections.
Fearne calls for wage equality for contract workers
Fellow deputy PL leader Chris Fearne proposed increasing wages of all contract workers, saying the Labour Party wanted to continue working to eradicate poverty.
There are a number of people that are engaged by contractors to work with public entities, he said. These people were already being paid as much as civil workers, following a move by the government to ensure both civil workers and those engaged privately to work with public entities received equal pay.
However, those working solely with contractors are receiving lower wages, Mr Fearne told the annual general conference.
We need to address this anomaly slowly, after discussion with various entities such as unions, he said.
“We have to do right by these people,” he added, insisting the party should be both pro-business and pro-workers.
Encouraging Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to stay on, the deputy leader said the Labour Party should aim to spend 25 years in government, after spending 25 years in Opposition.
The secret to our success is competence, teamwork and sense of duty, he told supporters.
Dr Muscat had clearly been competent in leading the party, and the teamwork within the party was felt at all levels within the party, including at Cabinet level, he said.
“I am certain that, with co-ordinated teamwork, we will continue on our success,” Mr Fearne told supporters.