PN accuses Labour of recycling unfulfilled election promises
The PN on Friday accused the Labour government of repeatedly recycling major electoral promises that were never implemented over the past 13 years, citing projects linked to healthcare, transport, Gozo, education and infrastructure.
Addressing a press conference, PN candidate Michael Piccinino said that Malta is facing an early election despite a series of major promises made by government in previous campaigns remaining unfulfilled.
Among the proposals he mentioned was the long-promised new Institute of Tourism Studies campus at SmartCity, which was intended to provide a modern tourism campus for students.
Instead, Piccinino said that ITS students had spent years operating out of temporary facilities inside the former Luqa hospital.
He also referred to the hospitals deal controversy and said government had promised a new mental health hospital, but was now speaking only about an additional ward at Mater Dei instead.
Piccinino added that Labour had also promised the renovation of St Luke’s Hospital, Karin Grech Hospital and Gozo General Hospital, but none of those promises materialised.
On traffic and transport, Piccinino said that in 2017, the government had promised to spend millions to solve Malta’s traffic problem through road projects, but traffic congestion had only worsened since then.
He added that in 2022, Labour had later promised to eliminate traffic through a metro system, recalling how simulations had even been displayed at City Gate in Valletta, only for the proposal to disappear after the election.
“Finance Minister Clyde Caruana himself described those proposals as part of the silly season at the time,” Piccinino said.
He also referred to Labour’s latest mass transport proposals extending over the next 15 years, while noting that Caruana had admitted he had not yet seen the costings to determine whether the plans were feasible.
PN candidate Beppe Galea focused largely on Gozo, saying there was a long list of unfulfilled promises affecting the island.
Among them, he mentioned the promise of a new Gozo General Hospital with 430 beds, which had been announced for 2022, as well as the Marsalforn breakwater project, which he said remains unbuilt.
Galea also referred to the proposed innovation hub intended to serve as a centre for startups, saying that the site currently houses government offices rather than startups.
Other unfulfilled promises he listed included the restoration of the Qolla l-Bajda battery, plans for Gozo to become Malta’s first climate-neutral region, facilities for carnival enthusiasts in Gozo, and a multi-storey car park in Marsalforn.
He said traffic and inconvenience in Gozo remain major problems, while also criticising limited course options at the MCAST campus in Gozo and the lack of a court building on the island.
Galea additionally referred to the long-discussed airstrip or airfield project in Xewkija and argued that Gozo still suffers from inadequate connectivity, saying that Gozitans are still relying on the Nikolaos ferry.
He also said young people from Gozo are often forced to move to Malta to continue their studies due to limited educational opportunities on the island.
Galea criticised the government over what he described as insufficient importance being given to Gozo’s heritage and culture, adding that “every broken promise means lost time.”
PN candidate David Bonello said several environmental and infrastructure promises announced in 2017 and 2022 had also failed to materialise.
Among them, he referred to the long-promised roofing of the Santa Venera tunnels and the creation of a garden above them, saying that four years later, no studies had even been carried out.
Bonello also referred to promises to pedestrianise the area around St Anne Street in Floriana and create green spaces, yet the locality today is instead facing heavier traffic congestion.
Closing the press conference, Piccinino reiterated that promises for a new ITS campus had remained unfulfilled despite being repeatedly announced over three election campaigns.
Piccinino said that Labour only revives such proposals whenever an election approaches and appealed to voters to support what he described as “fresh breath” on 30 May.
RSS Feed Source: Independent Malta PN accuses Labour of recycling unfulfilled election promises