‘Only PN can guarantee islands’ social services’

The Nationalist Party was the only guarantee that social services would remain sustainable, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.

Addressing an almost all-female audience during a party activity at Villa Arrigo, San Pawl tat-Tarġa, Dr Gonzi said that, in the last Budget, the Government dedicated €787 million to the social sector, an increase of €37 million over the previous year.

“With us, you can rest assured that our economy will continue to thrive and that we will continue to afford this high level of financial support to those in need,” he said.

“Labour is just an experiment, a risk the country cannot afford,” he warned, in the presence of his wife, Kate, who also addressed the activity.

Dr Gonzi said that during the past legislature the Government invested heavily in the social sector and introduced many innovative services. This was possible through the sound management of the economy, which, despite the international turmoil, had continued to grow and generate jobs and more income for the Government.

He said that his Government wanted to continue to steer the economy in the right direction and warned that a simple mistake would endanger the future of the economy.

“Whenever Labour was in government, the economy came to a halt. Don’t let this happen once again,” Dr Gonzi appealed. He said that although the Government fought abuse in the social services sector, saving millions of euros in taxpayers’ money, it was committed to continue to direct its help to those most vulnerable in society: single mothers, people with special needs, the elderly and low-income earners.

Nationalist Party deputy leader Simon Busuttil said that the biggest electoral risk the PN was facing resulted from the fact that people took certain things, such as education and lifestyle, for granted.

“Nothing is there forever and our challenge is to be able to keep what we already have and improve upon it.

“Although we are still at the start of the electoral campaign, we already have proof that Labour is a risk that this country can’t afford,” Dr Busuttil said.

The Prime Minister also opened a new €2.5 million premises in Mrieħel for Electrical Supplies and Services Ltd yesterday.

Managing director Duncan Agius said opportunities for businesses increased considerably since Malta joined the EU in 2004.

He said his company had managed to reap the benefits and was granted €100,000 in EU funds to invest in renewable energy.

According to Mr Agius, his business dream would not have materialised had the country failed to offer the right climate and conditions.

Dr Gonzi said the occasion was a tangible example of Malta’s strong economic performance in the past years.

He pointed out that while neighbouring countries had been negatively hit by the economic crisis, Malta continued to see one of the strongest economic growth rates in the EU.