PN Deputy leader Simon Busuttil this morning reacted to opinion surveys showing Labour still enjoying a big lead over the PN, saying it needed to be explained that voting PN was crucial for the country.

Speaking in Nadur, Dr Busuttil said the PN had given the people a secure past and a secure present, and it had the results to show that it could offer a secure future.

In contrast, the PL was making empty promises aimed at deceiving the public.Its campaign so far had been built on its energy plan, yet within hours the PN showed how it was full of holes, including a funding shortfall of €200m. So would power tariffs really fall, or would they rise? Or would taxes rise instead of the tariffs?

Furthermore, Labour was proposing a power station which the country did not need, And it wanted to build it in two years, something which could not be done if the normal local and EU procedures were observed.

When Dr Muscat was confronted with the holes in his plan, his only reaction was to put his own political credibility on the line, Dr Busuttil observed. But what political credibility did he have when, in the past, he backed proposals to ditch VAT and when he wanted to have a Partnership instead of EU membership? 

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said Labour's proposals would drive Malta's economy into a wall 'gas down'.

The proposal, he said, would undermine Malta's financial stability and cause unemployment. Labour, he said, should not be allowed to play about with the people's future.