Labour leadership candidate Joseph Muscat said today that since the MLP got almost as many votes as the PN at the last general election, it expected to be treated as an equal partner by the government.

Speaking at a meeting with the council of the Federation of Industry, Dr Muscat said he hoped that the investment promised for the country would actually be realised.

He said he was willing to collaborate with the government and give ideas in an open dialogue for Malta to achieve the maximum possible success in the shortest possible time, but the MLP had to be respected as an equal partner.

He reiterated a comment he made on Saturday that he wished to see Malta among the most successful members of the EU.

FOI president Martin Galea said it was important to build on existing structures, such as Mcast, which although not perfect, was doing a lot of good.

He regretted that not enough progress had been made on the implementation of the Industrial Policy Document. He also said that although there was a movement towards reducing bureaucracy, not enough was being done.

Dr Muscat said fiscal policy had to be used as a tool for growth rather than just for revenue collection. The fiscal burden on investors had to be reduced, particularly in the case of those investing in environmentally-friendly technology.

He also urged industry to champion corporate social responsibility and workers’ rights.

He said the government should not be acting like the increase in energy and food prices was happening all of a sudden, after the election.

He also insisted that Malta should embrace all forms of industry and seek to create a competitive environment for them.

FOI vice president Anton Borg regretted that no agreement had been reached on a social pact, perhaps because politics was involved in the talks, especially by the unions. He said that should politics be left out, there was a chance of agreement. Since in the current scenario this did not seem likely, then the alternative would, perhaps be, an MLP role in the talks.

Dr Muscat that should he be a labour leader, he was open for debate in all fora where his party was respected as an equal parter in discussions.