Bernard Grech blasts PM Abela’s government for general lack of planning
Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech hit out at Prime Minister Robert Abela and his administration over their lack of planning while in power during an interview on NET FM on Sunday.
Grech described the government’s absent planning by referencing the Vitals-Steward hospitals deal, the government’s recently announced emergency tender to outsource emergency care to the private sector, nationwide power cuts, and the growing national debt.
“This is a government without a plan,” Grech said.
While speaking about the urgent call that Health Ministry made on Friday to alleviate pressures from Mater Dei’s emergency services through the private sector, the PN leader told listeners to note the lack of planning, as Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela only gave interested parties eight days to submit their applications for this emergency tender.
Grech similarly referenced the energy sector and the government’s attempt to try not to repeat last summer’s egregious power outages through the purchase of generators. He said that, as observed in recent weeks, “we’re still having power cuts.”
The Opposition leader stated that the consequences being faced in these sectors are rooted in the government’s own economic model for the country, and that what is being experienced is proof that a better economic model is needed for the Maltese people.
“We cannot have an economic model that relies on increasing manpower,” Grech said.
Finance Minister Clyde Caruana was also criticised in relation to Malta’s increasing national debt.
Grech said that Caruana and PM Abela should be seeing that investments are being made in the most efficient manner possible, especially as the national debt has doubled to €10 billion from 1964 (Maltese independence) to just a few years ago.
He said that within the Cabinet, there must be collective responsibility in this subject, and remarked that all Cabinet members are accountable. Grech added that both the Finance Minister and the Prime Minister are as responsible for the exorbitant spending of taxpayer money as the concerned ministers (who approve these payments) are.
“Responsibility in administration does not just function on an individual basis, but there is collective responsibility,” Grech stated, “Spending taxpayer money is a great responsibility and they must use it to the best of their ability.”
Moving on to the Vitals-Steward hospital deal, Grech remarked that the government’s lack of planning is even evident in its collusion within the fraudulent deal. After saying that government was complicit in the deal with Vitals and Steward, he noted that “they left us in crisis as they schemed with these companies. They didn’t plan, they stole the money, and they fulfilled no investment.”
He also blasted the Prime Minister for being reluctant to retrieve the €400 million in taxpayer money that was involved in the infamous hospitals deal.
While discussing the PN’s request to have the State Advocate open a case and recoup the €400 million sum, which was rejected by the courts on Thursday, Grech told listeners that in Court, his party was told that in order to retrieve these taxpayer funds, the State Advocate must first get the Prime Minister’s permission.
In this regard, Grech remarked that “the Prime Minister does not want to grant [the State Advocate] this permission.”
“Only he can open procedures to attempt to retrieve our stolen money back,” he said. “Robert
Abela, till today, continues to refuse to open these procedures to protect thieves.”
The Nationalist head said that Prime Minister Abela is acting this way because of his “devil’s pact” with Joseph Muscat.
“His hands are tied because he got his hands too dirty to become Prime Minister,” Grech said.
Bernard Grech went on to tell listeners that as a result of all this, the only way the people can recover the €400 million is by electing a Nationalist government in the next general election. He pledged that if elected to power, the PN would do what he said only they can do: give the people their money back. He said that only the PN can do this, since it is clear that “Abela continues to abdicate his responsibilities,” and that therefore, it is time for change.
Grech claimed that a PN administration would also invest sufficiently in the health sector through the improvement of infrastructure, equipment, and even the wages of healthcare professionals. He also highlighted the importance of guaranteeing that vulnerable people in society are able to receive all the medicine they need, and preferably, these should be the most advanced medicines that are being distributed in mainland Europe.