Opposition ‘amateurish’ and has no credibility when it comes to economic leadership – PM

Credibility is a word that the Opposition no longer has in its vocabulary, and one needs look no further than when it comes to economic leadership since the Opposition has not even realised that Malta would have a surplus, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said on Sunday.

Speaking by telephone link on One Radio, the Prime Minister pointed out that mere hours after the Nationalist Party had criticised the government for no longer having the word surplus in its vocabulary, the National Statistics Office had announced a surplus.

“The people will always take what the Opposition says with a pinch of salt for the simple reason that when they were in government they did not keep their promises,” Muscat maintained, pointing out that, by contrast, the promises in the Labour Party manifesto were being kept.

“We have a government which turned around the economic future of the country.”

Focusing on the Opposition Party Leader Adrian Delia’s comments with regards to increased recurring expenses, Muscat explained that this was due to the increase in government workers, and the collective agreements signed with teachers, nurses, and the police.

He questioned whether Delia would reduce their wages because of recurring expenses, and insisted that the question is not whether recurring expenses increase, but if it increases with the money coming in.

Speaking on his trip to the United States and Canada, Muscat said that the message he took with him to the General Assembly of the United Nations was one of the importance of equality between the sexes and for the LGBT, and disability communities.

He also said that he spoke with many investors.

60% choose a vocational subject

Moving onto local issues, the Prime Minister touched on the start of the education reform through the “my journey” scheme and explained that 60% of Year 6 students had chosen a vocational subject.

“It is a sector that is important for the present and future of the country.”

The change in mentality in the Public Service to a “can-do” attitude was also praised by the Prime Minister who thanked the employees for their work.

He also noted that they had started a routine whereby they would reply to reports published by the Auditor General and the Ombudsman

“We see what they proposed, what we did, why we did not do certain things, and move on from there.”