Gonzi dismisses Labour criticism on 20,000 PN job creation figure as ‘lies’

Speaking during a recorded interview broadcast on Radio 101, Lawrence Gonzi dismissed Labour's attempts to contest the Government's job-creation record as "lies" and insisted that the government's figures enjoyed the backing of the International Labour Organisation, the and European Commission.

Gonzi said that Labour was attempting to discredit the Government's job-creation record because it had no proposals of its own to present, and in doing so, it was also trying to discredit the International Labour Organisation, as well as the European Commission.

"The facts speaking for themselves," Gonzi insisted.

Throughout the brief interview, Gonzi slammed the Labour Party repeatedly. On education, Gonzi also criticised the Labour Party on its education policy. He insisted that Labour's track record on the subject is characterised by its closure of the polytechnic, the lowest number of university students, and, during Alfred Sant's time, a reduction of stipends.

Gonzi also raised the spectre of the 2008 repeater classes, which proved valuable ammunition against the Labour party during the 2008 election. He warned parents and classes that its repeater classes policy showed that the Labour Party "was all about forcing students to repeat classes because it thinks you are not good enough."

He insisted that the Nationalist Party instead prioritises investing in students and allowing them to flourish.

Gonzi also reiterated the PN slogan "Labour Won't Work", and said that under a Labour Government, nobody would work, neither professionals, nor self-employed, nor employers and business owners.

He said that Alfred Sant's administration "ruined the country in 22 months", accusing his administration of raising utility tariffs, incurring a massive deficit, perpetrating taxation uncertainty, and "creating a crisis when other countries were prospering."

He also slammed Muscat's economic contribution, saying that "it was a track record of bad advice".

He also slammed recent comments by Alex Sciberras Trigona, also hit out as Muscat for "endorsing his comments and manipulating history in this way." He dismissed Sciberras Trigona's comments as "unwanted from someone who has no democratic credentials to begin with."

He insisted that the Nationalist Party underscores its efforts by a faith in the Maltese people, and said that it is guided by the goal of providing a quality education to all individuals, allowing them to flourish without having to resort to begging for favours to get ahead.