[WATCH] Government too busy dealing with its own problems to lay out proper COVID-19 strategy, Delia says

Opposition leader Adrian Delia says government too busy ‘firefighting’ its own problems to focus on way forward after coronavirus pandemic

Government is too busy “firefighting” internal issues to focus on a proper post COVID-19 strategy, Opposition leader Adrian Delia said on Tuesday evening.

The Nationalist Party leader was interviewed during a fund-raising event on NET Television, commemorating 50 years since the start of the party’s newspaper ‘In-Nazzjon’.

Delia said that as the country transitions out of the coronavirus pandemic, instead of government laying out a strategy for the future, it is too busy dealing with allegations that have continued to emerge.

“Government’s resources are alienated with firefighting problems that they created, not the pandemic,” he said.

Speaking on reports that Malta may ask Moneyval for a 6-month extension on its review of the country’s anti-money laundering regime, Delia said that government is not being clear in its procedures.

He also insisted that while the opposition is ready to help, government is not looking for any assistance in stirring the country away from such a “trauma”.

“If we do not make it, we are in for big trouble, and the opposition doesn’t want that. That is why we are utmost to ensure that the country reaches the goals set by Moneyval,” he said.

On Edward Scicluna’s statements that one shouldn’t “blame the victim”, following the Montenegro windfarm scandal, Delia questioned the Finance Minister’s statement.

says that he is the victim. How can the government be the victim when it’s composed of the same people who drew up the deals? The victim is the people not the minister,” he said.

He also questioned the minister’s statements after he said he knew nothing about the deal.

“He knew nothing about Vitals, he knew nothing about Electrogas and now he knows nothing about the Montenegro allegations. How can the government’s finance minister know nothing about its biggest deals?” he said.

The Opposition leader also said that the weekend’s statute reform better represents the PN’s role in the country. He said the bottom-up approach reflects better, now more than ever, the party’s intentions of truly serving the people.