A main component of the recovery plan is centred around projects concerning the environmental aspect, including investing money to tackle the problem of waste on the island. 

And although Cutajar agrees that this is an important issue that requires attention, he argued that this problem “exploded in our faces” because of two policies implemented in 2013: “building without proper restraints” and the “unbridled importation of migrants”.

Cutajar recalled that the current Finance Minister Clyde Caruana had highlighted the need for “thousands of foreigners” during his previous job as head of JobsPlus, but he asked whether Caruana even considered the amount of waste that they would generate.

“You’re trying to come up with solutions to issues that you’ve created. Ideally, the problem was prevented with a better political strategy,” he continued.

The second component that Cutajar touched upon was decarbonisation. 

Again, he agreed this is a crucial issue that necessitates prompt governmental action.

However, he again said the government is responsible for its “investment in importing migrants and working migrants”.

Cutajar said that a lot of migrants have their own vehicles that contribute to Malta’s traffic issue, and therefore the increase in toxic fumes.

However, he provided no statistical information to prove that foreigners residing in Malta actually cause a substantial increase in waste and pollution. 

Cutajar’s attempt to convince the government that they put themselves in this situation by investing in working migrants is peculiar, especially seeing as Malta has been recording high carbon dioxide emissions since before 2013, when the PN was in government.

It may also be the latest example of MPs using “foreigners” as convenient scapegoats for all of the country’s ills.

What do you think of Cutajar’s remarks?