Labour is the most trusted and credible party to keep the country moving forward, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Sunday.
Speaking on ONE Radio, Abela said people knew the party is their best guarantee to transform their aspirations into reality.
“Labour is the most trusted party, people believe our word. Our word is our contract. The electoral manifesto is our contract with the people”, Abela said.
Polls continue to show Labour enjoys a commanding lead over the PN, with Abela too enjoying a much higher trust rating than opposition leader Bernard Grech.
On Sunday Abela said that contrary to the Nationalist Party, Labour was capable of acknowledging its past mistakes and building on the good already done.
'No surprise over Grech's defence of 2006 policy'
Abela mocked Grech for "defending" a 2006 policy blamed for opening the floodgates of overdevelopment.
The prime minister said Grech’s defence of the policy should come as no surprise, seeing how two of its authors were once again active within the party.
Grech ruled out reversing the policy this week during the launch of the PN’s new green policy body.
Abela said that while he did not expect the opposition leader to say he would reverse the 2006 policy given that this would impinge on people’s rights, the least he would have expected was for Grech to acknowledge its flaws.
'More vertical development'
During his radio interview, the Prime Minister hinted at plans to allow more “vertical” development in certain industrial zones.
He fashioned it as a choice between putting a halt to the growth of industrial spaces, to the detriment of the economy, or expanding them more sustainably through “vertical development”.
'Government reversed negative growth'
Abela said the government had continued to provide support to the manufacturing sector, despite previous PN administration sounding the death knell for the industry.
The prime minister said the Labour government had not only stemmed the negative growth trend in the industry, but even managed to reverse it.
“The manufacturing sector knows where it stands with us. Support during the COVID pandemic helped retain employment and spur investment… Investors see a government that believes in them,” Abela said.
'Opportunity for everyone to own home'
The prime minister also touched on a new scheme that will help people ineligible for life insurance due to certain health conditions receive government help to allow them to get a home loan.
This scheme, run by the housing authority, will see the state step in as a guarantor for a home loan applicant and provide guarantees to banks to allow them to provide insurance coverage.
The guarantee will cover home loans of up to €250,000 for properties which are intended as the person’s primary residence.
Abela said the government's ultimate aim was to give everyone the opportunity to own their own home.