PN accuses Labour of copying its proposals: 'We lead, they follow'

The Nationalist Party has accused the Labour Party of copying ideas it previously opposed and ridiculed, including the child trust fund and the four-day week proposals.

The PN outlined what it described as 10 U-turns done by the Labour Party throughout the electoral campaign during a press conference on Monday afternoon.

“We have reached the eve of the election, and Labour is copying the proposals that the Nationalist Party has been talking about, and that is why I see a situation of ‘We lead, they follow,’ PN spokesperson Rebekah Borg said.

One of the proposals copied by the PL, Borg said, was the child trust fund, with Prime Minister Robert Abela talking about a €5,000 birth bonus. In his replica to the budget speech last year, PN leader Alex Borg had unveiled a proposal where each child born would have a fund with €5,000 opened in their name and which would grow over time until the child reaches 18.

Spokesperson Rebekah Borg pointed out that in 2022, the PN put forward a number of proposals to address work-life balance, including an extension of maternity, paternity, and parental leave, which the Labour government voted against in parliament. A few days ago, she added, the Labour Party made a U-turn and proposed an increase in maternity leave.

She also said that the Nationalist Party had long been saying that a holistic planning reform is needed. Borg said the PL first tabled bills without consultation and later said consensus was being reached with NGOs, which they denied.

Another PN proposal was for a consultation to take place on the four-day work week, which the government had criticised. However, Borg said, the PL had now put forward a proposal to support employers that introduced the "compressed week", which she said was the four-day week in all but name.

PN candidate Errol Cutajar accused the PL of lacking in credibility when speaking about the health sector following the Vitals-Steward debacle.

Cutajar noted that in 2021, the PN had already proposed that all cancer treatment drugs be provided for free, and on Xtra, Gino Cauchi said this could not be implemented. However, he stressed that with Alex Borg as prime minister, cancer drugs will be free.

In relation to the Gozo ferry ships, Cutajar said a new Nationalist government will build two new ships, one for passengers and one for cargo. He noted that just a few days ago, Labour copied the proposal.

He also mentioned the interconnector, an investment initiated by the Nationalist government. After the PL government took every opportunity to blame the interconnector for any damage that occurred, Cutajar said the PL was now investing in a second interconnector and is even considering a third.