Valletta’s inauguration as European Capital of Culture unified a proud country, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said on Sunday.

Speaking to Labour Party supporters during a political activity in Tarxien, Dr Muscat said national pride had reached historic levels.

Valletta’s stint on the cultural throne got underway on Saturday night attracting large crowds for the spectacle that lit up the capital city.

While Dr Muscat said he was not there to pat organisers on the back, insisting they already know they had done a good job, he did want to reflect on his main takeaway from the event: pride.

“I was looking at the large crowds and thinking to myself, why would so many turn up, people with families and pushchairs, to crowds of 100,000? The answer is pride. The Maltese people want to be part of all of this. Not simply spectators, but protagonists in this story of ours,” he said.

“We are making possible that which others believe to be impossible,” he said.

Turning to the economy, he pointed out how Malta was attracting truckloads of foreign workers and the country had gone from an economic deficit to surplus.

The Labour leader said that although the Maltese may have disagreements, they knew when a line had been crossed and when to say enough is enough – referring to mounting and relentless criticism from the Opposition and members of civil society.

“We have a situation today where people from the Opposition come to tell us they have had enough of this negativity. We say welcome to the club,” he said, prompting laughter form the crowd.

Dr Muscat said the ultimate poll to gauge the public mood was an election. For nine consecutive elections, the electorate had chosen the Labour Party, he said, “but if the Opposition hasn’t realised, maybe it needs the tenth test.”

He said such a test was on the horizon as in a year and a half, the country would vote at the next MEP elections, and he was confident the people would pass their verdict as they had always done.

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