Strengthening what works

Owen Bonnici (Minister for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government.)

Two weeks have already passed since the start of the electoral campaign, and the contrast between the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party, particularly that between Prime Minister Robert Abela and Opposition leader Alex Borg, couldn't be clearer.

The Prime Minister is upbeat, positive, and full of energy and enthusiasm - above all, he is constantly announcing proposals that are feasible, costed, measured, and doable, and, when implemented, will make a huge positive impact on people's lives. They are not proposals made haphazardly or on the spur of the moment, but the result of serious thinking and planning. Above all, they can be implemented immediately because they build on measures implemented over the past four years that have had a huge positive impact on people's lives.

Take pensions, for instance. In the past four years, the Labour government increased pensions in every budget. It could afford to do so because the economy was robust. The Prime Minister has now pledged that a new Labour government would increase pensions by €50 over five years. This proposal can be implemented because, under a Labour government, the economy will continue to grow, and because Labour is credible on this matter. It already increased pensions - 13 times since 2013 - and therefore further increases are doable and shall be brought into force, as were the previous increases.

The same applies to further increases in children's allowances. Labour has a positive track record on children's allowances, and a new Labour government shall increase them again - as the Prime Minister has already pledged.

Labour is particularly synonymous with tax cuts. Only recently has it given families the biggest tax cut in history. This has had a huge impact on families and businesses. Now, a new Labour government shall put more money in people's pockets. We can do it because we have done it already before, and because Labour guarantees a growing economy - only Labour does

This week it was announced that a new Labour government shall reward all employees with a €1,000 annual bonus. The bonus will not be taxed and will be paid directly into people's bank accounts. The proposed bonus would be granted to all employees, including single individuals, demonstrating Labour's commitment to reach a wide cross-section of the workforce. Employees earning the equivalent of the minimum wage annually would qualify, and the scheme would also extend to part-time employees whose income exceeds that threshold. Those earning less than €12,000 a year through part-time work would still benefit, receiving a pro-rata bonus with a guaranteed minimum of €500.

Our track record speaks for itself. Undoubtedly, one of the most positive economic measures taken by the Robert Abela government has been the decision to absorb the astronomical increases in the global price of oil to ensure it does not negatively impact families and businesses.

Subsidies came to the rescue, and be it a pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the war in Gaza, and now the war in Iran, Labour has maintained subsidies, cushioning consumers in the process. The Prime Minister has already made it abundantly clear that a new Labour government guarantees these subsidies, and the people know that we shall keep our word on this matter too - because on subsidies, our track record speaks for itself. Labour is the party of subsidies, and it's the only guarantor.

On the other hand, the Nationalist Party, especially its leader Alex Borg, perhaps panicked that the electorate knows that his party is no alternative to the Labour government, has gone on a senseless campaign promising everything to everyone, dishing out proposals that are neither costed nor implementable. Haphazard proposals that people see through.

The biggest problem that the Nationalist Party has is its track record, which, in putting money in people's pockets, is poor. Families and small businesses remember how a Nationalist government savagely increased the water and electricity bills. Pensioners remember how, under a Nationalist government, their pensions remained stagnant. Parents remember how the PN in government kept children's allowances frozen for long years. Businesses remember the insane bureaucracy that characterized the Nationalist Party-led administrations. This poor track record means that the Nationalist Party is not credible when Alex Borg promises that a Nationalist led government would put more money in people's pockets.

In culture and the arts, things will only get better under a new Labour administration. This week, at the Labour Youth event, the Prime Minister announced that young people aged 18 to 21 will be given an Arts Pass worth €200 a year to be used for musical concerts, exhibitions, theatre productions, films, and fashion shows. During this legislature, we invested heavily in these sectors, and thousands of local artists and creatives benefited greatly - the next legislature will be even better in this regard.

The idea that "your dream is our project" is not just a political slogan. It is what we truly believe in. It means that Labour's policies are rooted in the everyday realities of families and businesses. It means that ambition is not reserved for a few but shared by many.

In the past four years, we have seen the results of competent leadership:  Opportunities, jobs, more money in people's pockets, and a fairer Malta.

Labour means peace of mind, and this enables young people to aim higher and for businesses to invest further. It guarantees reassurance to families that tomorrow can be better than today. That sense of forward motion is something our country cannot afford to lose. The challenges are there, and the geopolitical situation is complex. But these are not reasons to slow down, or even worse, to turn the clock back. The next chapter for Malta should not be about starting over. It should be about building further and improving what can be better.  Labour works, and your dream is our project.