Labour leader Joseph Muscat yesterday welcomed the General Workers' Union's proposal for the setting up of a special task force to discuss the future of Malta Shipyards, saying his party wanted to be part of the discussions.
The GWU made its proposal on Thursday, saying the task force should be composed of the government, the MLP and the union to possibly secure consensus on the future of the company. This came a day after the government announced its decision to set the ball rolling for Malta Shipyards' privatisation.
Speaking at a press conference on the first 100 days since the re-election of the Nationalist government, Dr Muscat reiterated the MLP's disappointment at the way the government had announced its decision to privatise Malta Shipyards without any consultation.
The MLP was also disappointed that the government had ignored its offer to help in national issues such as this and the situation at STMicroelectronics. Nonetheless, the party would not resort to pique and Dr Muscat insisted that the MLP was still prepared to cooperate in the national interest and that of the workers.
Dr Muscat said the party was not opposing the concept of privatisation but was annoyed at how the government had taken the decision "unilaterally". Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi had promised shipyard workers peace of mind and he now had to respect that electoral commitment.
Dr Muscat spoke about the ups and downs of the first 100 days of the new Nationalist government. He admitted that, contrary to what people are usually accustomed to from the opposition, he was also going to state the positive "because the opposition wants to be positive".
He mentioned the launch of the first phase of the SmartCity project and the expansion of the IT component, the collection scheme for separated waste, the decision to stop the demolition of Broadcasting House and the government's decision to hold an inquiry into the school uniforms monopoly question.
Other positive action included the tougher fireworks regulations and PN general secretary Joe Saliba's admission that the government had not given remedies as recommended by the Tribunal for the Investigation of Injustices.
On the other hand, the first 100 days in power were characterised by the government's single-handed decisions, particularly on Malta Shipyards and the country's membership in Nato's Partnership for Peace programme.
Moreover, the MLP was disappointed at how the government was handling the issue of the increase in the price of diesel, which was now even more expensive than unleaded petrol, as well as the uncertainty on the surcharge. Such decisions brought about uncertainty in the economy.
How did the opposition plan to tackle these problems?
Dr Muscat said the party will make its proposals in the coming months.
Dr Muscat said that other negatives included statistics showing that harmful emissions in Malta were on the increase and the fact that public appointments had not been made after a public call, as promised by the Nationalist Party prior to the general election.
He said the government was procrastinating on its promises to remove the departure tax and change the car registration tax. It appeared to be back-peddling on its promise to cut income tax, he said.
With regard to the hospital waiting list saga, Dr Muscat said that even Social Policy Minister John Dalli was agreeing that the situation was scandalous. Waiting lists for surgeries had increased from 4,500 in 1998 to 8,000 in 2003 and to an impressive 18,900 this year.
Dr Muscat also spoke about the case involving Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, saying the MLP was still expecting the Prime Minister to make a statement in Parliament on the political implications of this case, especially in the light of Dr Pullicino Orlando's declaration that he had no intention of resigning from Parliament.
Asked about the resignation of Joe Debono Grech from the MLP, Dr Muscat said this had still not been accepted and Mr Debono Grech was still welcome to return to the party.