“We need to bring down the walls that surround us. The time of losing people and the time for bickering is over and well behind us.”

In a strong and assertive speech in Rabat, Labour Leader Joseph Muscat called for unity, to embrace change and to build a new political movement to change the country after 25 years of conservative rule.

“Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi just doesn’t get it,” Joseph Muscat said, referring to struggling families and self employed who saw their monthly salaries being cut down by high utility bills and high inflation rates.

“There is a consensus out there for change. And we can’t fail to bring change,” Muscat added, while also saying that the Labour Party is ready for a peaceful demonstration against to what Muscat describes as the “unstable, incompetent and mediocre” government of Lawrence Gonzi.

“People were tired of the Lawrence Gonzi before, but they did not vote Labour,” Muscat said while admitting that the Nationalist Party has also made inroads in Labour strongholds.

“The time of political monopolies, when you used to vote for a party because your parents voted for that party, is over.”

“We can build a system where one gets a job not because of political affiliation or because of his or her surname but out of merit.”

“We can no longer remain with a medieval mentality and continue to watch this country sink in corruption,” Muscat said.


Referring to the VAT scandal, Muscat said that the Auditor General had already advised the Nationalist government to take measures on the VAT department, when Lawrence Gonzi was Minister for Finance. “Yet, nothing happened. Now the General Auditor is saying that waterserv, a public entity, failed to pay VAT,” Muscat said, fearing that the “sharks got away with it.”

On the Fairmount contract, which the government is reported to have lost €37 million of taxpayers’ money; Muscat accused the Prime Minister and Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt of being well aware of the situation but kept mum.

The General Workers’ Union is now claiming that the government has lost €80 million in the Fairmount contract.

Speaking on the controversial extension of the Delimara power station, Muscat said that there is a clear case of corruption. He said that emission laws were lowered to accommodate the Danish company BWSC bid, which also received inside information by a third party. “They changed the goal post during the game for a €220 million plant that has to be changed in seven years time.”

The PL has moved a motion in parliament accusing Minister Gatt for “lack of transparency” and called for Dr Gonzi to take “immediate action”.

“This parliamentary motion goes beyond partisan politics and we took an oath towards the people to defend their rights. We are ready to shoulder our responsibility following the vote on the motion,” Muscat said.