Pet care leave, noise health studies and a trail agency, ADPD launches manifesto
'Ilkoll manifesto captures the spirit and message of the party: solidarity'
ADPD is proposing up to three days' paid leave to care for sick pets, a moratorium on new zoo licences, and contraception-based pigeon control are among ADPD's proposals in its manifesto for May's general election.
The manifesto also proposes a map of public countryside passages, a national agency for walking trails, and Malta’s first National Trail along the Victoria Lines.
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The Green Party launched the manifesto, themed ilkoll (everyone/all together), on Saturday following an extraordinary general meeting that confirmed the candidates as proposed by the party's executive committee.
Among its pledges, ADPD is proposing open-source software for public administration, as this would, among others, ensure increased transparency, it said.
When it comes to the environment, the party also calls for medical studies into the impact of Freeport, airport and entertainment-industry noise on nearby residents.
Deputy chair Carmel Cacopardo said ilkoll was a single word that captured the spirit and message of the party: "solidarity".
"Unfortunately... the message echoing around us almost every day during this electoral campaign is that tax is a dirty word and that we can do without taxes.
"The message being conveyed is one of substantial tax reductions. In the context of a national debt approaching €12 billion, this is certainly not the time for substantial tax cuts on the scale being suggested - even if the figures show that we are still within the limits permitted by EU rules.”
“For us, it makes more sense to continue insisting that the discrepancy between the minimum wage and what is needed for a decent standard of living - the living wage - be addressed. This contrasts with the proposed €1,000 super bonus for every worker.”
Chair Sandra Gauci added that ADPD offered a politics built on good governance, transparency and accountability. She said ADPD was a progressive party working for equality and in the interests of everyone, not just the few.