Watch: We Will Be Humble And Never Adopt A Siege Mentality, Robert Abela Pledges Ahead Of Protest
Ahead of a major PN protest against the Vitals-Steward hospital deal that will take place this afternoon, Prime Minister Robert Abela urged his supporters to adopt a stance of humility and openness.
“We must be open to criticism, we must be humble, we must keep our feet to the ground and we must never end up gripped by a siege mentality,” Abela told a political rally in Xagħra.
“Unlike the Opposition, we don’t believe that we are superior and that we’re always in the right while others are always in the wrong. We must listen to our critics and to those who believe we have room to improve.”
“I pushed this message consistently in recent weeks, and it is as relevant today as it ever was.”
Veering away from his pledge of “continuity” with the administration of his predecessor Joseph Muscat, Abela argued that he wouldn’t have tried to become PL leader and Prime Minister in the first place if he didn’t believe there was room to improve.
“If there was no room to improve, would we have passed through significant processes of renewal that we passed through together?” he questioned.
“Would we have taken decisions within the party, with the help of PL executive, to help Malta keep moving forward? If I didn’t believe we needed more reforms, would I have campaigned for reform in my first general election as Prime Minister? If I didn’t believe we needed more reforms three years ago, I wouldn’t have submitted my name for the PL leader role.”
Abela insisted that the PL will never adopt a stance of arrogance, warning this will herald an era of political stagnation and lack of direction.
The Prime Minister didn’t address the Vitals-Steward deal much, except to reiterate his pledge that, come what may, the government will safeguard the livelihood of every worker and patient at the Gozo General, St Luke’s and Karin Grech Hospitals.
He also pledged that work on a new Gozo Hospital will commence this legislature, which he said will sustain the Gozo campus of the Queen Mary University of London.
Following the PN’s last protest against the Vitals-Steward deal, a number of PL supporters harassed the owner of Il-Barri Restaurant online after spotting its owner in the crowd, with some even calling for a boycott.
However, this backfired immensely, with several people – including PN heavyweights – visiting the Mġarr restaurant in a show of support, and Abela himself promising to dine there in the coming days.
Will you attend the protest today?
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