Only a PL government can guarantee stability and credibility, PM says in upbeat speech

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat yesterday insisted that only a Labour government could guarantee stability in the country, including economic stability, and credibility. He insisted that the government had improved the lives of thousands of families and had not shied away from implementing change that others had said was impossible.

Speaking in Marsaxlokk, Dr Muscat said the government he leads delivers on its promises and the results are there for all to see, feel and touch.

“People can ask themselves whether their lives are better today than they were four years ago. They can see themselves the achievements we have reached – lower energy tariffs, lower tax rates, better social benefits, a better health service and education, and civil liberties – so the answer is, yes, we are all living better lives. The question is; will this country be even better after another PL mandate? The answer is yes, it will be.”

Dr Muscat stressed that the PL group is a united team. “We made mistakes, some of them big, but we learnt from these mistakes and with every lesson we become better. We did not make promises only to forget them the day after the election.”

Much remains to be done, he said. “We have some hard challenges before us, but this is because we are doing something where others did nothing for 25 years. This included settling the problems that existed with dock workers, former Enemalta workers and others. Do not expect us to solve all these problems immediately but at least we will do something about it, unlike the PN.”

Dr Muscat said people used question how the PL could create jobs out of nothing. “Today, the same people tell us to slow down because there are not enough workers for the amount of work that there is.”

An EU survey this week said 81% of Maltese believe that the economy is heading in the right direction. “This is a strong sign; it means that people trust us. It gives us the energy to do even better. These economic successes mean people have more money in their pockets,” the PM said.

He noted that 6,800 will this year receive a refund on VAT they had paid on vehicle registration tax. “We are returning to these families money that was stolen from them by the previous administration. We are not only looking to the future but we are also addressing the injustices of the past. We could have washed our hands of this problem, which was not of our making, but we are doing otherwise.”

Dr Muscat said the government had built a stable and credible economy. Taking a dig at the PNPD coalition, Dr Muscat said the country could only have stability if it had only one leader.

“In the recent past we had two governments that failed and a country that ended up in stagnation because it was not clear who was leading it. I am certain that only this government can guarantee stability for the coming years.”

Dr Muscat said credibility meant delivering on your promises. “It means not giving hope of fixing things such as hospital waiting lists, out of stock medicines or crowding at the emergency department, but actually get round to fixing them.”

“People do not judge us on the promises we make and the documents we publish, but on real projects, such as the Kappara bypass.

“People will remember the fiasco at Mater Dei and the Cirkewwa terminal. They will remember how it had to be a PL government to close down the Marsa power station.

“They will remember us for switching the power station to run on gas, for building a pipeline and removing the gas tanker from Marsaxlokk. This is the difference between us – we did not shy away from big projects that were, according to others, impossible.”

Dr Muscat said the problem of overcrowding at the hospital had been solved, the courts are running more efficiently and the government has reached an agreement on the disposal of construction waste (with quarry owners).

“This week we also passed the cohabitation law, which will improve the situation of thousands of families. After many years of talk, we have made this a reality. We have changed so many lives.”

Dedicating only a few minutes to criticism of the PN, Dr Muscat said the Nationalist Party had breached party financing laws when it issued false invoices for adverts that never existed. Simon Busuttil had been caught, he said.

“He challenged us to publish the major contracts and we did. This was unprecedented for this country. But when we challenged him to publish the db Group invoices he refused. He is now saying that he does not have faith in the Electoral Commission.

“This is what Simon Busuttil does; he criticises the authorities when they do not agree with him. We are different. We did not agree with the Electoral Commission when it took two seats away from us but we bowed our heads down. We did not agree with the Ombudsman this week but we did not criticize him.”

Dr Muscat urged people to attend the 1 May PL activity to show that they believed that the PL was their natural choice.