It may seem like Christmas has come early this year with political parties pledging free tablets but Joseph Muscat this morning refuted the comparison.

The Labour leader insisted his party's proposals were "realistic" and had a price tag to them, when asked by timesofmalta.com whether a cynical electorate could believe such pledges.

The Labour Party yesterday pledged to give Year Four students a tablet and soon after the Nationalist Party upped the stakes and pledged to give all primary and secondary school students a tablet. The PL costed its pledge at €1.5 million while Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said the PN will provide its costings at a later stage.

"We will not engage in the politics of auction," Dr Muscat said after addressing journalists at the abandoned  Birzebbuga water polo pitch.

He said Labour's proposals were part of a wider plan, adding the pledges being made were "responsible". Dr Muscat said he could not understand why the PN did not say how much its proposal will cost. "I suspect their reaction is a sign of panic."

Standing in front of a modest crowd of supporters, Dr Muscat said the Government had procrastinated on rebuilding the water polo pitch that has long been in disuse.

He pledged that a Labour government will go ahead with the project to compensate Birzebbuga residents for the inconvenience caused by the industrial activity in the area.

On the PN's proposal to introduce lower night tariffs for electricity consumption, Dr Muscat expressed his doubts. "Although I acknowledge the Prime Minister's realization that tariffs can go down, he did not say what will happen to the day tariffs. Will these go up to compensate for the night tariffs?"

After the meeting Dr Muscat shook hands with the people present and some even asked him to sign his biography, a book authored by former PN activist Cyrus Engerer.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com