Prime Minister Joseph Muscat this morning hailed economic growth being achieved by Malta and criticised 'a faction' of the Nationalist Party for continuing to be negative.
Speaking on One Radio, Dr Muscat said many people thought last year that economic growth had peaked when it reached 4% in real terms. Many, therefore, were surprised when, in the second quarter of this year, growth accelerated to 5.2% in real terms. This was the strongest economic growth by Malta in 10 years, four times higher than the EU average.
Economic growth in Malta had seen unemployment drop to 5,000 – the lowest ever - although more remained to be done to reduce it further. Never had there been so much job-creation as in the past year or so, and Malta was the second best performer in Europe.
Unfortunately, Dr Muscat said, the Opposition was being negative. It was not recognising Mata’s economic success and homing in on the employment of people such as LSAs and other workers who were needed in society.
The Opposition, Dr Muscat said, was divided between a faction dominated by Beppe Fenech Adami who wanted the Opposition to be negative, and another faction who did not like this. They obviously wanted to criticise the government, while wanting to be more positive. He hoped this would prevail, Dr Muscat said.
Dr Muscat said the government would forge ahead with its plans for further economic growth. Enemalta, which the former government had given up on, had been turned around and, together with its Chinese partner it would be investing in projects abroad.
MALTA CONSISTENT ON MIGRATION
Turning to migration, Dr Muscat said the government was consistent. What applied months ago continued to apply now. As Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi had commented, up to some months ago it was only Italy and Malta who had been commenting on this issue.
The picture of the drowned boy in Turkey were heartbreaking, but not new. He had seen several such pictures on Libyan beaches too, Dr Muscat said. At last European countries had realised this was a problem for the whole of Europe. This was a situation which required a global solution. A single country could not solve it on its own.
Malta and Italy would continue to press for a permanent system towards a solution and one hoped that other countries would now come aboad, and not forget the issue once it was off the headlines. The Valletta summit between EU and African leaders would hopefully lay the foundations for long-term action for better management of this problem, Dr Muscat said.