Malta’s government was too focused on other scandals, including being investigated for misappropriating public funds, to deliver a substantial plan to deal with the crisis at hand, PN Leader Adrian Delia told parliament.

Prime Minister Robert Abela’s cabinet is currently under investigation for misappropriating public funds or resources on Facebook, as revealed by Lovin Malta. However, Delia also criticised Abela for failing to take action against  Labour Party Deputy Leader Chris Cardona and former Minister Konrad Mizzi, despite the very serious allegations against the pair.

He also slammed Abela for cosying up to his predecessor former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat a few months after he was forced to resign because of the political crisis.

Delia’s speech in parliament was a reply to the package presented by Abela last Monday. He said that the “short-sighted” economic plan would only magnify the current problems.

While insisting there were many proposals he agreed with, including some first proposed by the PN, Delia criticised the government’s risk in putting its faith in an economy that relied entirely on population growth.

Fuel reductions, Delia said, meant nothing when Maltese residents could be paying far less if not for a controversial hedging deal signed by the current government. Prices should reflect market prices, he insisted.

Delia was full of praise for Malta’s front liners and criticised the government for failing to recognise the hard work done during this period, oftentimes at the expense of their personal lives.

He said that the government’s targeted economic plan failed to address many sectors that felt the punch during the pandemic, failing the many workers it was supposedly politically bound to represent.  Delia pointed to the number of sectors left out of the wage supplement.

“The government is telling hard-working taxpayers that they’re second class citizens not deserving of help,” he said.

An economic surplus, Delia said, was the government’s only priority. A lack of plans for the tourism sector, which was one of the worst affected during the pandemic, was also a cause for concern.