'Not simply giveaways but part of a road map' - Muscat

“Malta for all is not just a slogan. It is a revolution. This is not a normal election, but a coming together of people .This shall be the mission statement of a new government. Meritocracy will be the driving principle behind our government,” Muscat said, to kindly applause.

A wide array of topics were touched upon, with youngsters being at the heart of the discussion.

Muscat announced that the voting age for local council elections will be reduced.

“A new government will reduce the voting age for local council elections to 16 years of age. This shall serve as a test bed."

Muscat is advocating devolution of power to heads of school in order to better tackle localised problems.

“Each locality is faced with different realities. More power shall be devolved to head teachers. With regards to our one tablet per child policy, we chose year 4 because it is the recommended age by various people. This is not a giveaway but an investment and a literacy tool.  It shall involve an investment of €5.5 million in tandem with the private sector investment. It is not acceptable that 4 out of 10 youngsters do not continue their studies.”

Turning the tables on the PN with regards to costing of proposals Muscat said, “we have to know that the PN’s plan has been costed. We are in the politics of responsibility. We have a road map. We are not just trying to impress people.”

“We have paid for our past mistakes in tampering with stipends. I can confirm that stipends will contain a cost of living adjustment if we are elected to government.”

Muscat again emphasised that these measures are “not a giveaway but part of a strategic plan.”

Referring to Smart City, Muscat said, “these 7,000 jobs have not materialised. Today we have learnt that the White Rock project may have fallen through as well. It would never occur to me to blow my own trumpet at the mere fact that negotiations had begun on a project,” Muscat said.

“It is important that we have more women participating in the working world. With our childcare proposals we are aiming to incentivise 2,500 women to enter the work force. This will involve a net outlay of €3.1 million in the first year, yielding a net return for the government in the 5^th year.”

“Learning support assistants are only available during the normal scholastic year. Parents wanting to put their children into summer school do not have the facility of an LSA. This is not just, and needs to be addressed. It will cost money, but we cannot ignore these people. Social justice is what binds us as a value,” Muscat said.

Referring to himself in the third person at times, Muscat clarified that “this movement will not be built upon Joseph Muscat.” He reassured all and sundry that they can feel comfortable within his movement.