A vote not cast is a vote for Labour – Gonzi

Speaking during the Independence celebrations held on the Granaries, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi conceded that there were those who might have been unhappy with the PN's performance on several points, such as the closure of the Malta Drydocks.

"This happens. I understand this." He said that the dockyards' situation was untenable for several reasons, such as lack of competitivity and unsustainability. "Thankfully, a large number of dockyard workers found other work."

He said that it was true that some workers took a financial hit. "But did the country not benefit from the fact that it had 40 million it could invest in education, health, or industry? These were important steps," Gonzi said, also emphasizing the importance other reforms such as the Arriva public transport reform.

He however reiterated past warnings that those who chose to not vote for such reasons "would be giving their vote to the Labour Party."  Gonzi again stoked fears of Labour's past administrations, referring specifically to the 1996-1998 Sant administration.

"When Sant removed VAT, he created the financial biggest sink hole we've seen in our history," Gonzi said. "See what happens when you rely on the promises of those who pledge 'dancing water' but fails to deliver. One does not toy with the futures of our children." Gonzi said, adding that to make good for this, the Sant administration resorted to a budget heavy with taxation.

Gonzi was speaking during a dialogue 'The PN and You' as part of the Independence celebrations on the Granaries in Floriana. The dialogue was chaired by Dr Simon Mercieca, an academic from the University of Malta.

Gonzi also said that the PN "has a track record of identifying challenges, aside from creating them itself." He said that challenges abounded since Malta's accession into the European Union. He said the challenges of today are borne out of the challenges of the past, referring to pre-EU accession challenges, and even Pre-Independence challenges.

He said that the decision for Malta to join the Eurozone and adopt the European currency was because while the Lira was strong, it was nevertheless an island currency. He said that the PN "prophetically" foresaw that a situation could arise which the currency would not weather out.

He said that Ireland had suffered specifically this fate, as it had chosen to not join the EU, "following the advice of many including that of Joseph Muscat, and suffered the brunt of the economic storm."

Gonzi emphasised that it was only recently that Malta faced "its biggest challenges" which also rocked other European countries as well as the rest of the world. He reiterated how Malta managed to weather the worst of it, "and large organizations have given us their certificates of success and that we are progressing."

He also recalled the "unexpected and unavoidable Libyan crisis," adding that this was a challenge from which Malta "emerged with honor in the eyes of the whole world." He said that Malta was among the few "who chose not to remain impassive in the face of injustice and cruelty, and chose to be on the side of values and respect towards human dignity."

"Today however we ask what will the next challenge, the next direction, for this party?" Gonzi asked. "We are ready to take up any and all challenges that emerge, and we are prepared to renew the country. We are the party of renewal, and we will renew both ourselves and the country," Gonzi said, amid applause.

He hit out at the Labour Party's history and how it once "boasted of the capers factory," and also it criticized its employment corps, which Gonzi said allowed it to "hire thousands of workers on the eve of the election. He also hit out at what he described as "military discipline that did not even permit one to protest."

Gonzi emphasized the PN's commitment to ensuring that the industrial sector in Malta keeps developing. He said that to see this happen, the PN would be focusing on three pillars: supply of able and trained workers, the supply of electricity that is cheaper than that of competitive suppliers within Europe, and thirdly, offering solutions to local industry regarding what to do with the waste they develop.

"So far, they have had to export their waste," Gonzi said, emphasizing that a future PN government would be investing heavily in these three areas.

Gonzi recalled the past Labour administrations and how those living in Zejtun knew this first hand. "They know what it is like not being able to speak out. They know what it is like not being able to walk safely in the streets," Gonzi said as the crowd stood and applauded.

Gonzi poked ridicule at Labour Leader Joseph Muscat's recent assertions that "the person is the focus" of Labour's policy, questioning "What was there before, then? It was votes which were at the centre of their attention," Gonzi said. "During Labour's time, Maltese doctors were exiled. Maltese hospitals were closed down. Maltese students had to go abroad to study," Gonzi said.

Asked about the divorce referendum, Gonzi insisted that the PN had always accepted the people's verdict.

"We have never ignored the people's choice," Gonzi said, insisting that the party was always ready to improve and revise itself and its policies. He said this was the case not only in the short term, for just one election, but in the long-term "over a number of years."