'PL protects people one crisis after another': Abela

Despite a pandemic, international wars and a global energy crisis, the Labour Party continued to protect people and helped them lead a normal life, Robert Abela said on Monday. 

“We have a track record that speaks for itself,” the Prime Minister and PL leader said during a campaign event in Kalkara. 

“In the past six years, we had a pandemic, the Ukraine and Russian war, the Middle East war, the war in the Gulf, the rise in inflation and an international energy crisis; we experienced all these problems, but we stuck to our principles,” he continued. 

Abela said that it would have been easy to have told the public that, despite what the party had previously promised, the international circumstances had changed the local scenario. But that was the opposite of what the party actually did, he added. 

“Tell me of a political movement that, during the pandemic, not only promised to keep pensions, but provided the public with a second COLA,” he said. 

Abela said the party had cushioned the country from the energy and fuel crisis, while other countries were struggling with utility bills.

Abela reiterated that the PL will be there for every step of an individual’s life, from before birth all the way to retirement.

He said the PL was pledging to provide three years of tax-free income up to €30,000 for young people entering the job market or launching a start-up, and an interest-free loan for 25% of the property value for first-time buyers (up to a maximum value of €300,000 for single people or €350,000 for couples). He said the loan can be repaid at any time until the person turns 65. 

When asked how the party decided on what "pockets" of society to focus on in this manifesto, Abela said the party wanted to address "every person's dream". 

‘How can you be credible when you make so many mistakes?’

Abela said the Labour Party focused on three pillars: credibility, competence, and responsibility, and criticised the Opposition party for mistakes in its proposals. 

He pointed out how, first, the PN said the promised aid for first-time property buyers would cost €2.8 million annually. The day after, the PN announced it would cost an average of €37 million per year.

“How can you be credible when you make all these mistakes?” he asked, adding that the PN’s cultural hub proposal was a copy of the proposal for the Helsinki Design Museum. 

He said during Monday’s University debate, PN's leader Alex Borg had misquoted the amount for the party’s proposal for the offshore Mediterranean Marine Fuel Hub. 

“Despite having all those notes in front of him, he still managed to make a mistake,” he said.

Abela said that during the past three weeks of campaigning, neither he nor his team had ever made any mistakes when announcing their proposals. 

“We provide the costings, we know how we will carry out the proposals, we know how they will impact the individual,” he said. 

“We know what we promise, and we not only deliver those promises, but much more.”

He said the public had a clear understanding of the decision they had to take during the May 30 election. 

"The people have a decision to choose between those who have a track record of clear, serious and responsible proposals, and those who make mistakes," he said.

"We have a team that is capable of running the country, one that puts health, infrastructure, energy, family, and so much more as a priority," he said.

PL candidates Deborah Scembri, Carlos Zarb and Francesca Zarb also spoke during the meeting.