Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/826032
maltatoday, FRIDAY, 19 MAY 2017 7 News Keith Schembri 'is the real Prime Minister' manifesto specifically for Go- zo, something no party had ever done. "The fact that a party has a manifesto for Gozo, sends a clear message, that we care, that we are thinking specifi- cally about you," he contin- ued, adding that the PN un- derstood that realities faced by Gozitans were not the same as those faced by Mal- tese people. He stressed that the PN would make the proposed permanent link between the two island a main priority. "It is time for us to move from words to actions," said Busuttil. "There is only one party that can complete pro- jects in Gozo and that is the Nationalist Party." He said that a PN govern- ment would "find out what stage the studies are at" and immediately start work on the link. "This is the crucial step to ensure that there is no dif- ference between the wealth of Malta and that of Gozo," said Busuttil. "With the beau- ty that there is around here Gozo deserves to have more wealth. To preserve Gozitan culture, following the construction of a permanent link, Busuttil said the PN was prepared to enshrine Gozo's regional sta- tus in the constitution, add- ing that a regional council would be set up for Gozo. Moreover, he said that a PN government would be budget- ing €60 million for roadworks around Gozo. Turning to the family and businesses Busuttil said the PN wanted to tackle a prob- lem nobody wanted to talk about. "Over time the population of Gozo and gotten progres- sively smaller, and many peo- ple that have gone to work in Malta and stayed there," he said. The PN, said Busuttil, want- ed to start to reverse this trend and ensure that Gozo does not become an "old peo- ple's home". In order to do so, he said that if elected, the PN was proposing to give €10,000 to any couple of family that chooses to settle on the is- land. Referring to a question on the proposal which was asked by Labour MP Franco Mer- cieca's son during yesterday's University debate, Busuttil said the PN wanted to in- crease the population of Gozo by some 10% and would be al- locating €3 million a year to target 300 couples of families a year. "It is a very innovative idea, one which has instigated a lot of discussion, and one we are promise to enact," he said. Furthermore, Busuttil said PN businesses setting up in Gozo would be exempt from paying tax for three years, to a maximum of €200,000. Of the PN's proposals, said Busuttil, the one which "struck a chord" with people was his personal pledge to give back the Gozo hospital "to the people". "The hospital belongs to all of us and should be returned to the Gozitan people," he said. "As I have already an- nounced, the second the min- ister for Gozo is sworn in, they must go to Gozo Hospi- tal and tell them he was there to get our hospital back." Addressing the fact that there was a contract signed between the government and the hospital operators, that needed to be respected, Bu- suttil said he could not be held responsible since he had not seen the contract because it was heavily redacted. "I'll ask the Attorney Gen- eral to look into maybe he'll actually do something for a change," said Busuttil. He warned people against the Labour Party's "attempts to buy votes", and appealed to those that have "taken something" and were being told they would lose it with a change in government, that what is theirs would remain theirs. He again insisted that in ad- dition to the local elections, the rest of the world would be waiting to judge Malta on the outcome of the election. "They will be voting on whether to stay in Malta or to leave, and whether to visit Malta or not"