The government is negotiating major investments that should translate into hundreds of jobs, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi announced yesterday.
Speaking during a mass meeting on the Granaries in Floriana to mark the 45th anniversary of Malta's independence, Dr Gonzi voiced his hope that the talks would be concluded in the coming weeks.
Although he stopped short of giving details of these investments, Dr Gonzi said they would show that Malta remained an attractive investment destination.
"I know that the country is succeeding and will continue to succeed," he stressed, adding that despite the economic problems being faced around the world, the government was working hard to safeguard jobs, although he admitted that some workers had gone through difficult times.
He described his government as an "architect of the future" while "others" were trying to sow the seed of uncertainty, discourage people and keep the country a slave of the past.
In an hour-long speech peppered with messages of encouragement, Dr Gonzi said Malta had remained strong in the face of the financial crisis, adding that this had been made possible by EU accession. He pledged that the country, as well as his government, would continue to show strength.
"We look at the country's future with optimism and courage because we have faith in everyone." He said the government would do its utmost to help families, the elderly and those who take care of people with a disability, and who have over the years shown that nobody should be sidelined.
He cast a glance back at former Prime Minister George Borg Olivier's vision for Independence against many odds, saying the former Premier had faith in the Maltese people.
Dr Gonzi said Malta's independence had opened the door for major achievements, including EU accession, for which he thanked his predecessor Eddie Fenech Adami. And in the context of its importance, he reiterated his call for Independence Day to be declared Malta's national day.
Although he stressed that he did not want to impose anything since a national day deserved national consensus and he was open to discussion, he said choosing Independence Day would be another sign of the maturity that the country had already demonstrated when it appointed a President who enjoyed the support of both major political parties.
"I am prepared to discuss how we can better celebrate other important days, but our national day should be, deserves to be, Independence Day on September 21," he said.
Referring to the global financial crisis, which started just over a year ago, Dr Gonzi said the Opposition was not recognising this reality. He launched an appeal to the Labour Party not to hide the truth from the people, adding that, if it was up to the PL, Malta would have stagnated in mediocrity, drowned in negativity and choked in truth-twisting.
He said that, despite the financial crisis, the government had saved some 2,300 jobs.
The Opposition, which had after all been against Malta's EU accession, should not discourage people from making the needed changes, including when it came to wind farms, public transport, the docks or the power station.
"We tell those who try to discourage people to allow us to work for the good of the country," he said, adding that he looked to the future with confidence.
He said that, despite it being a difficult year, the first eight months saw 1,300 redundancies but more than 2,400 jobs created. Moreover, some 3,400 people over 61 years of age were in full-time employment while more than 5,000 were working part-time.
Only 240 of the 1,500 dockyard workers who had taken early retirement were registering for work, while around 900 had found new jobs.
He said the pillars for his government would remain education, jobs and the environment.
Earlier, PN general secretary Paul Borg Olivier accused Labour Leader Joseph Muscat of not having political substance and of being absent when the government was proposing reforms in the planning authority and public transport. Dr Borg Olivier said the Opposition Leader was all talk and no action.
He also accused Dr Muscat of using illegal immigration to gain political mileage.
In a press statement last night, the Labour Party described Dr Gonzi's speech as one without any vision coming from a Prime Minister leading an unstable government.
"While painting a negative picture of what's happening in the world, he failed to remind his listeners that he himself was responsible for the biggest crisis in Malta when he raised the utility rates and the price of gas cylinders while allowing the cost-of-living to reach record levels - the highest in the eurozone," the PL statement said.