Do not put stability at risk, Gonzi warns
PN leader Lawrence Gonzi warns voters to weigh their options well as country's stability could be at risk.
2 February 2013, 12:00am
Jurgen Balzan
Jurgen Balzan
3 min read
Lawrence Gonzi was interviewed on the PN's radio station on Saturday morning.
The PN is once again proving to have the foresight to take the country forward, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said.
Stressing that the PN electoral programme is a clear pathway for the country to secure a better future, Gonzi explained that the party is putting all the cards on the table by saying how much the programme would cost and where the money will come from.
"A PN government will also set up an independent committee to scrutinize the government's expenditure," he explained.
On the other hand, Gonzi hit out at the Opposition for failing to publish its own programme although the electoral campaign had reached the half way line.
"We still have not seen Labour's phantom programme, and the strangest of all is that the Opposition's candidates have no idea of what their party's stand on the economy is. Labour is playing hide and seek with the electorate and this is unacceptable."
He added that on 9 March the people have to make a choice between the PN which will be sending its electoral programme to all households for all to see, "while on the other hand you have Labour which kicked off its campaign at midnight with all the fanfare of the Eurovision song contest and has yet to publish its manifesto."
"Weigh up your options carefully. Do not put the country's stability at risk," Gonzi said, inviting voters to look at what is happening in other countries.
"Look at what happened in countries abroad, the first victim of the austerity measures introduced were social benefits because governments could not pay for them," Gonzi said.
He added that in other countries where medicine was distributed for free to certain sectors of the population now had to be bought from pharmacies because the foreign government could not pay pharmacies for the medicines, pharmacies ended up with liquidity problems and couldn't buy medicine to sell to their clients.
"These are the realities other countries are facing. Anyone can easily verify what I am saying," he added.
Speaking on the PN's radio station, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said the party's electoral programme includes 125 proposals showing that the country needs to achieve economic growth to guarantee the creation of wealth and new jobs.
"Everything depends on the coming five years to continue create the jobs - the be and end all. I'm not saying this to scare people, but this is the reality abroad. If we are not careful people will lose their jobs," Gonzi said.
Underlining his administration's success in crating jobs over the last five years, the PN leader said that during his tenure, up to 20,000 new graduates entered the labour market, more women joined the workforce and pensioners kept their job despite reaching retirement age.
Turning to the energy debate, Gonzi said the implementation of the night tariff would benefit industry, allowing companies to save money on their production costs and employ more workers.
"We must continue explaining that if we don't take care of our finances, we would pay a high price and this price would not be paid by the Prime Minister, the Opposition or political parties but the people would pay the price," Gonzi said, adding that students would end up paying for their education, workers would lose their jobs and the elderly would lose their pensions and social benefits.
Jurgen Balzan was a MaltaToday reported from 2011 to 2017.
•
Lanqas shabek stess mhuma qed jemmnuk sur gonzipn. Ilek twieghed u tigdeb ghal dawn l-ahhar snin u il-qawl malti sewwa jghid li il-giddieb omrhu qasir.
Priscilla Darmenia •
ghaliex dejjem tbezza bil-babbaw? we are no longer little children. May I suggest to you to prepare a letter of resignation and keep it handy so on the 10th March when you hear you are going to loose you hand your resignation to Dr Borg Olivier. Then you will not have the opportunity to be a leader of the opposition and your wish will be fulfilled.
•
Thanks for your advice Lorry. That's what we'll do on 9/03. We'll vote PL in and GonziPN out.
•
No way this time Dr Gonzi - we do not believe you any more - sorry !
•
A PN government will also set up an independent committee to scrutinize the government's expenditure,"---Err wait a mo, this maladministration has had twenty years to do this. Where the hell were they?
•
When you've lost the plot and any credibility or democratic credentials that you might have had scaremongering is the only thing left. For a second I was going to type "poor Gonzi" when what I should type is "poor Malta and Gozo!"
•
Zmien il-purcinelli tac-cirklu kont minghalija ghadda. Imbaghad irrealizzat li issa zmien il-karnival fejn il-maskerati jkunu fl'aqwataghhom. Gonzi ghandu cans tajjeb hafna li jigi l-ewwel..... fil-kompetizzjoni tal-maskerati!
•
int taf tisthi wenz? kliemek jikxef li kif jghidu>>min ikun ilu fil poter idur ghal rasu u int hekk gralek ghaliex issa bdejt tghid c cucati,ahjar tara min hemm imdahhal fl skandlu taz zejt mela mohhok fil program elettorali tal PL.mghux ga qallek li d diehla ser johrog.int alright jew???
•
X'arroganz ta argument. Nahseb li Dr.Gonzi bis-serjeta jahseb li hu mibghut minn Alla biex imexxi lil Malta, speci ta Mose ghal poplu Lhudi. Hallina nghixu Prim. Il-biza ma timpressjona lil hadd hlief lil ta madwarek.
•
Rubbish it. The usual scaremongering. Predictions of far fetched apocalypses will not catch votes. On the contrary, such tactics are counterproductive. We must build confidence in this country, conscious at the same time of the fact that alternation in government in healthy and necessary. People do not need counsels, nor patronizing lessons of who best to elect. They have already set their minds.
Luke Camilleri •
U Gonzi x'ghamel BIL-PARLAMENT aktar maghluq milli miftuh biex jahrab il-Dr. Franco Debono?????
Igor P. Shuvalov •
"Do not put stability at risk, Gonzi warns." Is this the same man who for a whole year led an unstable Government resulting in the person who was supposed to put all his energy in administrating the Government. dedicating a lot of his time trying to manage his own deputies and avoiding to put certain issues to vote to manage to survive?
•
it is incredible. this guy has no morality. His Government has been the most corrupt in Malta's history. We the people of Malta have seen his Parliamentary Majority constantly being eaten away by his own back benchers, we have seen the economy of this country floundering, we have been subjected to the highest rates of utility bills anywhere in Europe. We have seen Gonzi and his ministers voting themselves € 500 per week pay rises plus all the honoraria and perks when we common mortals were regaled with € 1 rise per week, no honoraria and rises in the cost of gas and fuel that immediately eat away any rise. And he has the gall to call this stability. If what we have gone through these last 5 years is stability then wait for the heaven on earth that will be made available with a PL Government - assuming that our dear GONZIPN have left any liquidity in Malta's coffers.
•
We have no intention of putting the country's stability at risk. That is why we have NO intention of voting PN!
•
Yes sure gonzi really took care of our finances with a particular focus to his finances..
Stefan Mifsud •
"We must continue explaining that if we don't take care of our finances, we would pay a high price and this price would not be paid by the Prime Minister, the Opposition or political parties but the people would pay the price," Gonzi said, adding that students would end up paying for their education, workers would lose their jobs and the elderly would lose their pensions and social benefits.
That is very rich considering this Government has added up over 6 Billion Euro in debts (5 Billion plus some 800 Million for Enemalta alone)and which has failed miserably to keep within its targets.
•
Gonzi, don't you know that the clowning season is closed.
