When the party is weakened, the country is weakened
The Leader of the Opposition Bernard Grech stressed that he never tried to prevent the publication of an ethics report to the Mayor of Naxxar Annemarie Muscat Fenech Adami, and added that anyone who has such requests should bring them to the structures of the party.
In an interview on the radio station of the Nationalist Party, Grech claimed that the claims of the former deputy head of the party Robert Arrigo regarding the ethics report were false. He added that such complaints should be brought before the internal structures of the party.
“It is not fair to say that the head of the party prevented the publication because the [ethics] a board came to a conclusion that I didn’t like,” he said Thursday.
Arrigo’s initial claim was that Grech lied on national television when he said last June that the internal investigation has not yet been concluded. He said that the report was finished “months ago”, but Grech did not like the result because it contradicted his position when he asked the Mayor to resign.
“Whenever we weaken the party, we weaken the country. Whenever we say things that are not true… or even if they are true, bring it to the party organs,” said Grech.
Air Malta
Grech stressed that Air Malta is a necessary pillar of the local tourism sector, but added that the government is making promises to the airline’s workers that could not be kept.
In January, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana had announced that Air Malta’s workforce would be cut in half under plans to make the airline financially viable. Employees who chose to leave the company voluntarily were offered alternative employment with the government.
However, The Shift News reported that Caruana is now rejecting this commitment.
“The Government has the obligation to save Air Malta, but not at the expense of the workers who gave such a good service.
Grech also accused the government of reckless spending, specifically by spending millions on direct orders or failed public-private partnerships like the Vitals franchise.
“It is good to build flyovers, but to hold an opening ceremony six times is not good. You are wasting millions of taxpayers’ money on propaganda,” he said.
Regarding traffic, Grech said that the government spent millions on road projects without a coherent plan. “They spent money on nice projects, helped in certain areas, but still stuck in traffic.”
He particularly chided Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia for blaming recent traffic jams on roads closed to the village parties
Grech touched on security concerns, noting that many police officers are leaving the force and feeling demoralized. He argued that this means that localities may be more exposed to crime hotspots.
He also spoke about the recent introduction of the EU Directive on the Balance between Work and Life, which was negotiated by Nationalist Deputy David Casa. He said that the government transposed the indispensable minimum of the directive, “enough not to get into trouble with the EU”.
Grech concluded by saying that the party will not stop renewing itself and will be on the lookout for new blood, while restructuring the PN’s media branch while strengthening the work of the party committees.