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Matthew Vella
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday staked out a two-hour radio show on Nationalist radio 101 in which he fielded questions from callers as he cast a wide net over several issues currently on the country’s agenda. Not least among the subjects tackled were the contentious Brussels acquisition in Rue Archimede, and his adamant conviction of the need for a golf course in Gozo.
Gonzi justified the Lm9 million Brussels embassy as a wise investment which will have journalists and opinion-writers wooed over within a matter of six to twelve months when Dar Malta’s mathematics, according to the Prime Minister, will finally make sense to all:
“The Brussels acquisition was a difficult decision because it carried great implications which have not yet been acknowledged by our journalists and columnists. This is not just any embassy.
This is the place where Malta will be able to turn its EU membership status into a better quality of life for its citizens, every day of the year.”
Pausing momentarily to present an analogy based on the sagacity in choosing between purchasing a diesel or petrol engine to help explain further the logic of the Brussels embassy, Gonzi said his Cabinet had bravely skirted away from taking “the easiest and most irresponsible choice”: that of not buying the nine-storey building. It will, no doubt be remembered by journalists and opinion-writers, however, that the building netted sellers Cofinimmo close to a 50 per cent profit margin within a period of just over twelve months before Malta struck the deal.
“We knew this was a controversial decision. We took a courageous decision. I hope that those who are currently criticising us will come forward and appreciate our decision when they will change their mind, and when they see how the revenue generated from the commercial letting of the building is directed towards the administration of the building. This investment will show that we have chosen wisely.”
Firm on reform and golf
Lawrence Gonzi came across vigorously on the issue of tax evasion and the need for reform in different areas of the Maltese economy and infrastructural services. He justified his decision to take on the Finance Ministry as “his best ever,” fielding a question from the radio programme’s first caller, saying that it enables him to have keep a closer eye on all government activity.
Harsh tones were reserved for the public transport sector, almost in pre-emptive fashion to any intransigence the Public Transport Association may reserve for Gonzi when he descends on the negotiation table:
“Public transport has to be reformed. Listen to this, it is crystal clear: the Maltese people are calling for a public transport system that adds up to the millions of Liri we are spending on it. We have to reform the routes and the system.
“The 505 routes will decrease because we are paying a lot of money for routes we do not need. We have to come to an agreement, and that is what I prefer, but if we don’t arrive at an agreement we shall have to take a decision.”
Gonzi also extended a sign of relief to non-smokers as he declared finality on the smoking debate. A smoker himself, Gonzi was resolute to point out that the Maltese have the right to enjoy being in a public place without having smoke drift around them: “They have this right. We have arrived at a position when this has to be finalised. It is a right for their health. One asks at this point, where have the consumers’ associations been all this time?”
Caught in an uncompromising stride of declarations, Gonzi also made one of the first clear utterances on government’s take with regards to golfing on the Maltese islands: “I want a golf course in Gozo,” was Gonzi’s stark statement, putting both Government and Opposition in agreement on having Gozo host a golf course.
Finances and immigration
The first caller to grill Gonzi expressed her doubt at whether his government had indeed a post-EU accession programme for the islands. The Prime Minister recalled the PN’s programme entitled ‘Growing in Europe’ (Biex Nikbru fl-Ewropa) as the fundamental electoral basis of his government. He deflected all doubts onto Alfred Sant, pouring scorn over the defunct Switzerland in the Mediterranean model:
“Labour did not have a programme, save for the Swiss mountains they had in mind. Let’s not forget that 15 months ago Labour was trying to sell us the idea of Partnership, which was just another name for Switzerland in the Mediterranean. People should ask Sant how he intends to address the deficit, because sitting down and criticising is the easiest thing anybody can do,” the Prime Minister said.
Gonzi has promised to keep the country’s fiscal programme on course as he prepares to zone in on practices that will disturb the budgetary measures in place. Permanent secretaries can expect to get no performance bonus if they do not respect budget targets, a resolved Gonzi said. The Prime Minister is placing deficit control as a main priority on his agenda and is making sure accountability is the name of the game.
Touching on pension reform, it appears that the end of summer should see the publication of the White Paper on the long-awaited reform, as experts finalise proposals for a new system that will service future generations of Malta’s ever-growing grey army. Discussions on a national level can be expected in the near future with matters coming to a head by end 2005, Gonzi said.
Asked about the economic expense of hosting asylum seekers, Gonzi was quick to express the importance of human solidarity with regards to migrants. He unequivocally stated that migrants arriving from the North African coast had a right to aspire to a better life:
“We have to start understanding why these people endanger their lives by crossing the Mediterranean in a frigate with baby in hand. How is it that these people risk their lives? It is a human tragedy and this means that we Maltese must realise that these are exploited people and we have to understand their plight.”
Looking at the other side of the coin, Gonzi re-affirmed Malta’s refugee policy with regards to recognising bona fide refugees, and reserving the right to send back those who do not satisfy the criteria to be recognised as such.
matthew@newsworksltd.com
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