Abela says Labour only party which should be trusted with Malta’s future

Prime Minister Robert Abela stressed the Labour Party is the only party which should be trusted with country’s future.

Delivering his speech to a packed MFCC during the 2022 general election’s final rally, Abela focused his speech on the PL’s “unity”, in comparison to the PN’s “divide”.

“How can you trust someone who is desperate for political power? Are you ready to trust someone who is not even able to lead their own party?” he told supporters.

Abela recalled the party’s leadership election back in 2020, and how his first challenge was that of keeping the party united.

“We understood the ideal, is bigger than the individual. Imagine you are a new Prime Minister, and you are faced with a crisis of that magnitude,” he said, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic. “But I had a good team around me, which helped me face the situation.”

He also said during the pandemic, the PN failed to support government in “its battle against COVID-19”.

“We remember what the PN tried to tell us in the pandemic. They wanted us to go for a full lockdown, they wanted us to spend everything the country had, but we discussed with experts and we took the decisions which were needed,” he said. “And in the end, we were proven right.”

He also called out the PN’s electoral manifesto, reiterating previous statements that they changed versions “countless times”.

“First, they told us we wouldn’t have bendy busses, then they told us the trackless tram will take up one lane, then they told us we would need to narrow lanes,” he said. “If in five years they were not able to prepare a manifesto, are you ready to trust them with the country’s leadership?”

He said the PL’s duty as a movement is to offer solutions, and that those who “do not live for change” do not deserve to be in government. “The opposition’s only consistency is it opposes everything. People want someone who proposes to them.”

Reacting to polling surveys, Abela told supporters that the election starts at “nil-nil”.

“Do not leave up to chance. To determine your country’s future, you have to vote. If you want the country to move forward, you have to vote for the Labour Party,” he said.

He also warned supporters that the PN will take one last shot at “dividing the country”.

“In the face of such divide we have to remain positive,” he said.

Chris Fearne

Addressing the event, PL deputy leader and Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne also recalled the 2020 leadership race.

“By the next day, Robert found me there to support him,” he said. “Politics should not divide us, it should unite us.”

He said now that both electoral manifestos are out, everybody can compare the two parties’ proposals. “One has the proposals to take Malta to the future, and one has proposals no one believes.”

He said the country is lucky to not have societal divides. “We don’t have a divide between races, religions or language. We are all proud to be Maltese, and we must remain united, because when we are divided, we all lose out.”