Bernard Grech Sends Hope-Filled Message To Maltese Family Leaving Island Due To Its ‘Clear Problems’
Opposition Leader Bernard Grech spoke to families who have left Malta or are considering leaving Malta in the face of a number of rising problems.
“When you see posts like these, you realise how many people have sadly let go of all hope, how many have laid down their arms and fled,” Grech said, referring to an online status from one family that had left the island over the “uglification, road rage, corruption, greylisting and nepotism” in Malta, among other issues.
Grech said this sentiment was indeed a feeling shared by many youths in our society – up to 70%, of whom want to leave the country, not only because of the state of the environment but because of the lack of opportunities.
“But the options are either to give up or do something about it. Many years ago, I decided on the latter.”
“But there is no need to get into politics to do that,” Grech continued. “You could even be pushing papers and be part of the process. When you feel helpless, you surround yourself with others and get going. That is what we are trying to do. That is how we can fix our country’s problems.”
Grech said his message was one of hope.
“My message is this: yes, we can. We can create change. But first, we have to change the government,” he added to resounding applause.
“We have abandoned the common good in these ten years and have only looked to immediate solutions. We need to go back and start over. We need to take care of the common good as well as the individual good. You cannot have one without the other.”
Grech rubbished the PL’s proposal that people would need to join a trade union.
Grech highlighted this proposal as one which “distinctly” separates the PL from the PN.
“The PN believes in liberty, of your rights, to start. The PL believes you should be controlled, discriminated against.”
He said that many in the economic sector had expressed their concerns after the Labour Party published their manifesto.
“In our last debate, Prime Minister Robert Abela stated that they will continue to discuss it, despite the fact that it was printed on their manifesto. So I guess from 1,000 great proposals they already went down to 999,” he smiled.
“It is unfortunate, because it just goes to show how they don’t stick to their guns, and rather bend to the outrage they receive on social media.”
Grech turned to skyrocketing food prices.
Contradicting the government’s stance of “studying the problem”, Grech stated that the problem was very much real and already depicted by many organisations, including Caritas.
“On this, we talk of the important concept of living income, and how we are going to strengthen that and quality of life,” he began.
“By hitting the community with a multitude of incentives, we would be decreasing the everyday burdens people face, in terms of expenditure,” he added, using the example of the PN’s proposal to increase the range of the current medical formulary to have people spend less on their medicines.
“Things like free access to doctors are one thing, but there are also the high-quality jobs we are offering, including the incentives such as those seen in the disciplinary corps, who will have the option to continue working after they start earning their pensions.
The Nationalist Party has also proposed a national fund of €40 million to ease the costs for imports and exports.
“We need to identify issues before they become unsolvable. This was why we proposed the €40 million fund for import and export.”
“Our projections are based on expert consultations and discussions because the trends we see are the eye-openers.”
Issues such as Malta’s passport scheme should have been ceased the moment the Russia-Ukraine war broke out, Grech maintained, owing to the fact that it could have compromised the security of our country.
But one thing that seldom graces the minds of many who – under normal circumstances – have no trouble finding food, was the fact that Malta’s food-producing sectors need just as much TLC as the other sectors, particularly in times like these.
“Conflict affects everybody, so we need to address it in a concrete way. Why shouldn’t we rely on our own food and water supply? We didn’t need to wait for the Ukraine crisis to address this issue.”
Grech spoke on several PN incentives made to strengthen the position of Maltese farmers, fishermen, and persons in the Maltese food industry. Incentives such as subsidies on water meters for farmers, and on fuel for fishermen, but more specifically, on the preservation of water.
“We need more genuine food that grows in Malta,” he said.
Grech reminded viewers of the PN’s plans to funnel an investment of €1 billion into ten new economic centres.
“We did it with aviation, pharmaceuticals, finance, tourism, maritime, and even the Freeport. And so, we’ll do it again,” Grech said.
“The Metaverse is an industry of €900 billion. Imagine what potential there is for our country if we tap into the industry.”
Through the Metaverse, one would have the space to create a virtual space to create a reality that could bring a world of good. As already seen in medicine, for instance.
Among the other industries mentioned by Grech, were compliance in due diligence, specialised manufacturing, AI, Esports and video game production, and other sectors – such as sports and arts – which would be strengthened as a result of a new injection of funds.
Having provided an answer to the question that is public transport, Grech was confident that the PN’s proposal of the trackless tram would be a safe, quick, clean, efficient, and most importantly punctual means of travel for the Maltese. One that could be the solution to traffic we so yearned for in the passing years.
And what more? In the coming days, Grech even promised to reveal the costings that went behind the proposal.
“The costings will come in the next few days, now that we are out of the consultation phase. So the public will be able to review them, soon.”
Through the Party’s ESG compliance, the future looks bright in Grech’s eyes, with people in the industry potentially taking shape to standards never before seen on the island.
What do you make of Bernard Grech’s proposals thus far?