The first week of the election campaign ended in Gozo and both parties had the opportunity to spell out their proposals for the sister island.

For Labour, the Gozo outing was a lost opportunity- Simon Busuttil

I was pleased to join the Prime Minister and the party secretary general along with candidates in Gozo for the PN event.

The Prime Minister lost no time in giving a preview of some of the proposals that our party will be presenting on Gozo in its upcoming electoral programme.

There were no gimmicks and no frills. Just a series of fresh and concrete proposals.

The Prime Minister focused on four key proposals.

The first is our set of proposals for job creation. They hinge on a new and highly attractive tax incentive that grants a tax credit of up to €200,000 over a three-year period to any new business that opens in Gozo employing a minimum of two people. There are no restrictions on the type of business – it can range from a restaurant to a gaming company – as long as it commits to the creation of real jobs in Gozo. And, if it does, it will see a holiday on its tax bill up to the said amount.

Linked to this is a proposal to slash administrative fees of all Gozo businesses down to just 10 per cent of their total. This second proposal applies both to new and existing businesses, as long as they are based in Gozo.

The second set of proposals homes in on the stimulation of the tourism sector in Gozo. There is a string of proposals here.

For instance, whereas efforts will continue to be made to incentivise cruise liners to berth in Gozo, new measures will be taken to entice some of the more than half a million cruise passengers arriving at Grand Harbour to take a trip to Gozo. This will, in itself, greatly boost the number of tourist arrivals in Gozo, albeit for short visits.

For longer visits, we want to stimulate further investment in five-star hotels and to offer schemes that will help upgrade lower star hotels as well as farmhouses in Gozo.

Financial support will also be given to public events, typically opera, carnival and traditional events that can stimulate tourism in the shoulder months. And, on their return, people spending at least one night in Gozo will pay the same ferry rate as Gozo residents.

The third proposal deals with devolution. Following the greatly beneficial experience of the Gozo Ministry since 1987, Gozo will take a further step forwards in its devolution with the establishment of the Gozo Regional Council through an ad hoc law that will also formally establish Gozo as an island region in Malta.

The Council will supervise the implementation of the Government’s policy on Gozo through the Gozo Ministry and will also have the power to issue by-laws applicable in the sister island. It will be composed of the five MPs from Gozo along with the mayors of the Gozo local councils and five elected representatives from civil society organisations in Gozo.

This is a ground-breaking proposal that comes soon after we marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Gozo Civic Council. I hope that it will lead to a genuine debate on the next step in devolution of power in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity.

The programme will also feature the PN’s commitment to financing a final study on building a permanent link between Malta and Gozo with the intention of proceeding with the project subject to the outcome of the study. The PN is open-minded on the options available and will act on the basis of the outcome of this final report, which is now being commissioned.

There are other proposals too, such as further investment in road infrastructure, the establishment of a Business Park for crafts businesses and the completion of the Eco-Gozo initiative with a further focus on renewable energy and water catchment projects.

Finally, the PN is once again committing 10 per cent of Malta’s share of EU funds to Gozo. This would be the third financial package for Gozo since we joined the EU in 2004. I reckon that, since then, EU funding in Gozo must have topped the €100 million.

The PN is the only party to have made clear commitments on EU funding for the sister island.

A mouthful, you might say. And the full set of proposals in the programme will be longer still.

Now contrast that with Labour’s proposals on Gozo. After all, Joseph Muscat addressed his first mass meeting in the campaign in the island also this weekend. And what, pray, are Labour proposing concretely for Gozo? You guessed it. Zilch. Five years in opposition and no proposals in sight.

Take jobs. Muscat said that Labour will deliver jobs for Gozitans. But how? Nothing.

Same goes for tourism. Muscat will place emphasis on tourism. But what measures will he take? Silence. And the tunnel? Simple, Labour will emulate us and go along with what we decide. Hardly imaginative.

The weekend trip to Gozo gave all and sundry an inkling of what Labour seems set to do in this campaign. Big on dazzle and image but short on substance.

For Labour, the Gozo outing was a lost opportunity.

Simon Busuttil is Nationalist Party deputy leader.