Muscat commits to a better future for Gozo

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has sustained his commitment towards Gozo, claiming that the island still has much more to offer. 

In a political event organised by the Labour Party for the Prime Minister’s tenth year anniversary in office, Muscat stated that Gozo will remain part of the party’s longterm vision.

“Gozo will not become an imitation of Malta, we will look to get the best out of what it has to offer,” he said. “The characteristics that Gozo has to offer will allow us to create jobs and economic nieces that are different to those in Malta,”

Muscat claimed that he envisioned Gozo becoming a place where foreigners and Maltese alike would seek to work at, rather than the other way around. 

Addressing the proposed tunnel project linking the two islands, Muscat said that a timeline had been set and that various studies were underway, but insisted the government would not wait for the project to be implemented in order to continue investing. 

“The amount of people and tourists visiting Gozo has increased and so we must look to make the island sustainable,” he said.

He said that hotel and business owners were no longer looking at the number of tourists that visited the island, but the quality of the tourists.

Muscat also hinted at a renovation project for the island’s ferry service, saying that he would be looking to address the issue of transportation between the islands as quickly as possible, with the possibility of a fast ferry service being introduced. 

Despite what surveys indicated, Muscat said, Gozo remained a stronghold for the PL and the secret to the party’s success was its strong connection with the island. 

“Gozo is still not enjoying flagship projects. When Gozitans really start being impacted by these projects, Gozo will once again gain a further boost,” he said. 

The prime minister said that Barts Medical School and Steward Healthcare had committed themselves to the projects assigned, elavating the health sector in Gozo to another level. 

As to water and electricity bills, Muscat said the government had launched an investigation. “Once the cause of the problem is identified, we will make sure that any irregularities are resolved,” he vouched.

But, he said, people knew who was telling the truth in the matter, and all families had to do was compare their current electricity and water bills with those in 2012. “Today some families are consuming more but still paying less, and this goes to show how far we’ve come,” he said.

Muscat urged party supporters to remain positive in the wake of unfair criticism. 

“The movement we started is not defined by one person, but by a group of people who envision an even better future for our country,” he said.