Gonzi defends AFM actions in sharing of migrants with Libya

Speaking during a recorded interview with a NET reporter on party radio station Radio 101 this morning on whether he was going to order an inquiry over the AFM’s actions in this incident, Gonzi claimed: “When I asked the AFM for an explanation, they told me that everything had taken place properly

“I tell all those who are criticising us that two days after she was rescued, a woman gave birth,” he contended.

This is not the first time Gonzi has defended the AFM.  The Maltese armed forces have come under constant criticism for the handling of migrants at sea.  The latest incident involved the forced repatriation of migrants to Libya, a country renowned for its poor human rights record and torture of migrants.

Gonzi also claimed that two days after the rescue, the Libyans had indicated that they had saved the vessel with all the immigrants.

We cannot become a place where everybody does what he wants,” Gonzi claimed.

“We have asked the EU to ensure that an agreement that took place between Libya and Malta is extended also with the rest of the EU,” he announced.

“We must remember that whoever is passing from these terrible things are humans like us and need all our support.  I am shocked with letters and SMS messages with negative comments on immigrants,” Gonzi insisted.

Gonzi explained how Malta’s duty was to save “all those people who are really in danger of dying.

Asked about the mailing of the energy vouchers as from tomorrow, Gonzi claimed that people were “getting angry” when they learnt that from the electricity bills “we were subsidising hotels and restaurants”.

Gonzi explained how in the past three years, “we have refined the subsidies which we give for electricity.  With the energy benefit, 30,000 families are covered, out of 120,000 families,” Gonzi boasted.

However, this was “not enough”, he insisted, and the Government was helping people to invest in photovoltaic cells.  “All those who consume their electricity carefully not beyond 10,000 units a year, will be receiving the electricity benefit,” he warned.

The less one consumed electricity, the less the power station was used, so there would be less pollution. “Last year we have subsidized solar water heaters, but this year we will be subsidising solar panels,” Gonzi announced.

He explained that in view of the fact that PV cost quite a lot, the Government would be subsidising half the cost of the PV cells though EU funds.

Moreover, through the new feed-in tariff for solar panels, people “will actually be making money out of the PV investment after a certain amount of years,” Gonzi contended.

Asked about the Government’s decision to commission the World Bank for three studies for the pensions' reform, Gonzi insisted that the pensions’ reform was not a problem being faced only by Malta, but by the entire EU. In fact, the EU had commissioned a green paper about the matter.

Gonzi explained how the problem has arisen because Malta employed a pay as you go system that should pay for all government expenses.  “However, this is not the situation as we have fork our extra money,” Gonzi warned.

In fact, studies had shown that while currently there were four workers working for each pension in Malta, in 20 years’ time there would only be 2 workers working for each pension.

Gonzi explained how five years ago, the pensions’ reform had increased the retirement age from 60 for women and 61 for women to 65 years for both and 40 years’ of contributions.

“Currently the pension is capped at two-thirds of the salary of the President. The challenge is to increase the rate of pensions beyond the two-thirds pension rate,” Gonzi announced

Moreover, the Government was considering introducing the second pillar for pensions, that is, private pensions, however Gonzi did not delve at depth on this aspect.

“People must learn to invest not only in a fixed account with only a 2% but should also invest in something which gives an income beyond that,” he insisted/

Finally, asked about Labour leader Joseph Muscat’s claim last Sunday that Gonzi did not know how to manage the economy and that the corporate village was a few restaurants, Gonzi did not mince his works.

“The workers’ at factories like at Kirkop and Bulebel know what we have done for them. If we had taken the advice of the PL, then they would have lost their jobs,” Gonzi insisted.

“Even if the corporate village was only composed of restaurants, that was an indication that the economy was doing well as people had done their studies before opening,” he retorted.

He explained that the corporate village was going to be a one-stop shop for self-employed and enterprises as Local Council Offices had become a one-stop shop for individuals.

“While the PL has criticised the concept of a corporate village, when it was presented in a road-show in London, everybody praised us,” Gonzi claimed.

“The PL, as usual, would criticise everything which we do. As they did with the Mater Dei, which was first criticised by the PL as an excessive expense, now is considered as a state of the art facility,” the PM insisted.

“Muscat would be doing the same once the Corporate Village is opened,” he concluded.