War, Family and Tackling Inflation: Here’s The PN Round Up For This Week
It’s been another busy week for the Nationalist Party, which continues to try to make ground on the government.
With that done, let’s have a look at what proposals the PN had in store for Malta, this week.
1: The PN’s stance on the Russo-Ukrainian War was made clear
Early in the week, Grech appealed to Prime Minister Robert Abela to ’soften his heart’ in the wake of the atrocities that were going on in the east of the continent.
“We cannot remain indifferent, we cannot remain cold, frozen, in front of the pain, the death and the invasion that the Ukraine people are suffering from,” he said.
The sentiment was also shared by other members of the Party, with MEP David Casa taking the platform at a PN rally, to plead that Malta opens its doors “wide open” to Ukrainian refugees.
With the war escalating, Malta had no choice but to conform with an EU directive, issued by European Parliamentary President Roberta Metsola, to stop selling passports to Russians and Belarusians, effective immediately.
An act which fuelled Grech, praising her as one who ‘showed our Prime Minister how it’s done’.
2: There were proposals to combat our rising cost of living
Grech referenced several proposals designed to bring more income into people’s pockets and importantly address the cost of living issues.
To start, we had the rising rent prices in Malta. The solution? A reduction in tax for landlords, for the rental of their properties.
Properties rented out at €300 a month will not be taxed at all, those rented out for between €301 and €600 will be taxed at 7.5%, while anything more expensive will be taxed at 15%, which is the current flat rate.
In an effort to leave no one behind, PN candidate Ivan Bartolo announced that alongside voluntary organisations, the Nationalist Party vowed to ensure space for temporary shelters.
The ’shelters’ initiative was one of several in the housing domain meant to target ‘lacunae’ in the current system, by keeping the good and capitalising upon the gaps which require improvement.
What’s more? Plans to allow opportunities for persons in social housing to become owners of their own homes.
It was also announced that smaller societal groups, such as those with mixed abilities, the elderly, and youths not qualifying for government assistance when purchasing new properties, will also care for with incentives specific to their case.
Speaking in a press conference, Grech said it was essential to start looking at growth and wealth generation beyond economic indicators, pledging to create a more fair system for all. In light of this, the Party proposed a new method of analysing Malta’s performance that goes beyond the GDP.
3: Health was deemed a pillar of the Nationalist agenda
What could be better than a new psychiatric hospital, set up alongside Mater Dei? Well… that dream could be made a reality should PN take to governance. A welcomed sentiment to many, with Malta’s Mount Carmel Hospital being a somewhat controversial spot if attaining the best quality care is on one’s agenda.
Following an announcement by Stephen Spiteri, we could have better availability of medicines, a larger formulary, broader community outreach, better opportunities for IVF, and more options for oncological treatment
“We will take care of patients suffering from cancer, and not leave them always having to rely on help from the community chest fund. The government needs to give them the necessary treatment. Treatment of the highest level,” Spiteri said.
The PN’s proposals on health did not only fall under the remit of ‘human health’, with candidate Rebekah Cilia calling for a national neutering campaign so as to eliminate all stray cats from the island.
4: Our country’s energy and infrastructure would be tackled with a multi-angled approach
An innovative initiative was put forward in a means to reduce Malta’s notorious congestion problems by offering to pay drivers up to €10,000 if they sell their car and go carless for the next five years.
The plan showed such great promise, that Grech himself spoke out about potentially utilising it, personally.
Plans to increase ODZ land and open spaces were also announced, compensating for the lack of space on the island by engaging in a massive underground infrastructure project.
When one nationalist MP – Ryan Callus – warned of lightbulbs flickering all around Malta due to problems with electricity distribution, the Party even vowed to invest in renewable sources of energy, such as wind farming.
“This is happening across the entire country. Malta is suffering from electricity problems because the government spent the last nine years focused on corruption and abandoned electricity distribution,” Callus stated.
5: We learned about the candidates on the PN ticket in a neat new way
With the launch of Ħerġin, the public was given a chance to learn something a little deeper about the candidates. The documentary features a series of ‘mini-series’ about several PN candidates and some of their greatest challenges.
During the week, the PN saw another exclusion from their ticket. That of Franco Debono. However, the lawyer and former MP did not exclude actively participating with the party in the future. Grech, even stated that ‘his door will remain ever open’, should Debono decide to return to the fold.
6: Family was put on a pedestal
One of the first proposals to have come out in the second week of the PN’s campaign was one that many fathers relished – an increase in paternity leave, which presently is only one day long.
To add to this, the Party proposed funding incentives – to both parents – during the Paternal leave period.
And for those who are self-employed? Well, the very same benefits of paternity, maternity, and parental leave would apply to them too.
But parents may need external support too. This is why the PN pledged financial assistance for nanny/child-minding services, sick leave to parents, and subsidies/tax rebates for any assistance required at home.
Moreover, the party pledged to deliver our statutorily right to temporal flexibility, rights to all employees to work from home during the week, and protection to pregnant to-be mothers in the workplace.
7: A change in the narrative?
From a society accustomed to the offensive tidbits that come out of mass meetings and mass events, Grech left us with a few surprises. During an interview, he stated that there are ‘good guys on all sides’, even if the PN had a better team.
His statement came a day after featuring on the Jon Mallia Podcast, wherein he answered the question: ‘who are two PL candidates you admire?’ The answers were Michael Falzon and Oliver Scicluna, with the former, apparently, having helped him in a situation of a personal nature.
Out of all the surveys conducted till this point, all have indicated a strong PL win; anywhere within a margin of 23,000 – 45,000 votes.
Regardless of the uphill battle, Grech was adamant that even despite a foreseeable loss, he would continue to serve the party.
“It is still clear that we are the underdogs in this race. But the tide can only be turned by the voter. They decide in the end. However, no matter what happens, I will remain in the service of the party and the country.”
While you can now have a read of the party’s first week by clicking here, you can also see what freebees both the PN and the PL have offered by clicking here.
Do you think the PN can close the gap?