Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/821520
maltatoday, TUESDAY, 9 MAY 2017 6 News PN proposes allowance, PAUL COCKS A new PN government will offer free childcare services to all parents, free school transport for all students, increase the children's al- lowance, extend maternity leave and make it possible for parents to use their sick leave when their children are sick, Opposition leader Si- mon Busuttil said yesterday. Busuttil, who was address- ing a press conference at the Nationalist Party headquar- ters, said that these family- oriented measures would prove of great benefit to many families but conceded that some of them would need the consent of all social partners. "We still believe that this election will not be decided on the proposals but on the principles and values of in- tegrity when faced with all the corruption and money laundering going on," he said. "The election should not be Parties should burdens on industry Joseph Farrugia, director- general, Malta Employers' Association I believe that promises from both political parties have to be preceded by an impact assess- ment on costs and competi- tiveness on Malta's enterprises. Also, they should be based on quid pro quo considerations – what should organisations get in return for such measures to balance the scales? They should first start by de- claring whether they are inter- ested in balancing the scales or whether they just want to impose further burdens on in- dustry without a correspond- ing compensatory benefit. This is the only basis on which any political party can ever hope to start a discussion on these matters if they want to appear credible with em- ployers. Any absence from work en- tails not just the cost of la- bour, but also the value of lost production, therefore even if the full cost of such meas- ures – paternity leave, paid holidays, etc. – is paid by the government, there would still be a cost incurred by employ- PN to take voting documents claims to OSCE MIRIAM DALLI THE Nationalist Party will be reaching out to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to re- port how voting documents in Malta are missing "basic security features". In a press conference held earlier in the day, deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami said that tests carried out on voting doc- uments confirmed that the ink could "be wiped off ". PN leader Simon Busuttil, as well as Fenech Adami, blamed Prime Minister Joseph Muscat for the situation, with Busuttil warning his supporters that there could be "electoral fraud". Their comments were delivered before an urgent meeting of the Electoral Com- mission was held. Shortly after 8pm, the Electoral Commission – which is com- posed of members nominated by both Labour and the PN – said that the com- mission and party delegates were "satis- fied" with security features of the voting document. But standing before the crowd that gathered in Hamrun, Busuttil said that the PN was grievously concerned by the claims and even warned the electorate to be careful. "If someone tries to threaten you, and grabs your voting document and pours [methylated] spirit over it, your vote will be lost," he said, warning his audience of "possible fraudulent elections". "This is a serious situation and when Fenech Adami f lagged the matter, no one said he was wrong. They confirmed what we were saying… and we always know what we're saying," he said. During the press conference, Fenech Adami said the Electoral Commission had contacted both parties to let them know about the situation. Raising his voice, Busuttil said he was making it "absolutely clear" that he would not be allowing anyone to tamper with the general election. "I am holding the Prime Minister re- sponsible for these obscenities. I expect the Electoral Commission to look into the matter immediately. This could seri- ously affect the electoral process." He added that he would be reporting the matter to the Organisation for Secu- rity and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Whilst recounting the proposals pre- sented by the PN earlier in the day, Bu- suttil described the pledge to offer free childcare for all – including to children whose parents do not work – as one "of equality". "This is a huge proposal… it will be a huge decision that will cost millions. We won't be imposing anything on anyone and it will be up to parents to decide." Busuttil added that another measure of equality was giving free school transport to all children, including those attend- ing private schools. "How come Joseph Muscat hasn't re- alised that we do not experience traf- fic when schools are closed? Of course he doesn't… he's busy with Panama," he told a cheering crowd. "If someone tries to threaten you, and grabs your voting document and pours [methylated] spirit over it, your vote will be lost,"