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Kurt Sansone
A visibly tired Lawrence Gonzi yesterday insisted he will continue to hold on to the finance portfolio despite having to juggle various official commitments as prime minister and minister of finance.
“I have managed to fulfil all my commitments, present what I believe was a good budget and therefore I see no reason why I should give up the finance portfolio,” the Prime Minister said yesterday.
Lawrence Gonzi was addressing the media during his customary monthly press briefing, five days after presenting the budget and going through a hectic week of media appearances and debates with the Opposition leader.
Asked by MaltaToday whether his two commitments abroad as head of state, in the week preceding the budget, normally a time when the finance minister locks himself up to put on the final touches to the budget, could have disrupted his budget-related work, the prime minister was dismissive.
Greeting the question with a smile, Gonzi said that he managed to fulfil his commitments abroad, hold a press conference where he announced the new surcharge and petrol taxes and also delivered “a good budget.”
Fielding questions about various aspects of the budget, Gonzi said he had no problem meeting with the GWU but insisted he was not going to budge from the cost of living compensation as announced in the budget to make do for higher utility prices.
The union announced on Friday it had asked for an official meeting with the prime minister since it believed the compensation of 50c per week for higher utility rates was not enough.
Dwelling at length on the imminent lay-offs at the Denim textile factory in Bulebel, Gonzi said: “We have been helping Denim for months now by deferring a number of payments owed to government but the company owners have informed us that their clients are requesting prices that are charged in countries like Morocco and the factory in Malta cannot charge those cheap prices.”
The Prime Minister said Malta Enterprise and the ETC were asked to kick start their respective mechanisms to try and find alternative employment for the 850 employees at Denim whose jobs are on the line.
Asked whether his government betrayed the employees at Denim when on the eve of the 2003 referendum and election, then prime minister Eddie Fenech Adami had sent them a letter putting their minds at rest over their job security, Gonzi insisted that the Nationalist Party had sought to dispel Alfred Sant’s arguments that Denim employees would lose their job once Malta joined the EU.
“We surely did not give them a guarantee they would not lose their job because of competition from countries like China,” Gonzi answered.
ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt
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