Sports, Environment And Debates: Here’s A Round Up Of PN’s Fourth Week Of The Electoral Campaign
We have just capped off week four of Malta’s election race. That means only seven days remain until the day that could see Opposition Leader Bernard Grech rise to the helm as Malta’s Prime Minister.
Amid a week rife with rallies, interviews, and a debate at Malta’s Chamber of Commerce, it would come as no surprise if something went by without you realising. But don’t worry, just have a read below to catch up with the highlights.
1. Sports, environment, and… fireworks?
Those vested in Malta’s sector of sports could see significant improvement in their quality of life, if not only how much money they could earn after PN candidates Graham Bencini and Chris Micallef delivered no less than twenty proposals that would elevate sport from ‘recreation to profession‘.
At the pinnacle of this reform, stands the prospect of a TV station meant solely to showcase Maltese sports.
Malta’s ‘waning’ environment was touched on during a Balzan rally, where Grech stated how none of the ten economic sectors the party plan to invest €1 billion towards, will come at the detriment of Malta’s environment, using the Party’s most recent proposal of the trackless tram as one such example.
Grech cited a survey that showed that 70% of Maltese youths feel the urge to leave the country, in no small part due to the state of the country’s environment.
An interview on F living revealed some of the less mentioned ideas promoted by the PN, thus far. At the forefront of these ideas, was how the Party plans to strengthen the firework industry in Malta.
A pastime that finds its way into the hearts of the absolute majority of the Maltese, persons in the sector could potentially enjoy a ‘Firework Festival’ that takes place twice annually, with reduced VAT and tax refunds dished out to workers in the industry.
The interview also served as a platform for Grech to touch base on the Government cheques, which began distribution this week, with some haling the measure as a sound strategy to restore the country’s economy, while others lamenting the gesture as one given purely to ‘sway’ voters.
While Grech maintained that such cheques would continue to be given in times of need, he did state that it won’t be the ‘be all, end all’, furthering his sentiments by saying that the focus should always be on better wages and less expenditure as a result of Government incentives.
On the subject of expenditure, Grech also hailed the necessity of incentivising those in the voluntary sector, stating that:
“When you devote your time without expecting to get anything back in return, you get back more than you think.”
2. Bernard Grech faced off with Robert Abela in the second debate of the electoral campaign
Grech locked horns with the Prime Minister in a second election debate that sought to challenge their credentials and their ambitious proposals to lead Malta in the years to come.
Unlike the University of Malta debate, this was the first wherein the party leaders were able to put their words forward without any external input. And from within the debate, there were six key takeaway points and questions worthy of your attention:
- The issues of stability, as presented by Abela; versus the change presented by Grech, should PN take charge of the country after 26th March.
- The question of how each party would fund their proposals.
- The public transport debate: PL’s metro versus PN’s trackless tram.
- Who – among the two – would be more able to champion good governance?
- Haphazard development issues, particularly in Gozo.
- Who carries the tools necessary to lead the country through its future challenges?
3. Grech sends a message of hope to families ‘abandoning hope’ and fleeing the country.
Grech took to a political event in Rabat to address the qualms of a family who left the country after reaching a boiling point with respect to the many issues Malta faces.
“You realise how many people have sadly let go of all hope, how many have laid down their arms and fled,” Grech said.
But through continuous work with the Party, Grech said that while leaving was one option, staying back and fighting for change – as he did – was another. And it is one that he and the party will continue to do.
By strengthening trade unions as well as workers’ rights, addressing the skyrocketing price of living by solidifying Malta’s own produce (of food and water, in particular), and proposing a whopping national fund of €40 million to ease the costs for imports and exports, many could hopefully see that sought after change become a reality.
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.
Yet, plenty still remains up in the air as the PN continues to exert their efforts and close the still-evident gap between them and the Labour party.
Need a refresher? You can have a read of PN’s first, second, and third weeks by clicking on the hyperlinks. You can also see what freebees both the PN and the PL have offered thus far, by clicking here.
What do you make of the PN’s fourth week?