[WATCH] Charmaine Gauci not allowed to take decisions she wants, PN leader claims

Robert Abela’s failure to take the difficult decisions has led to Malta losing control over its COVID-19 situation, Opposition leader Bernard Grech said.

The Nationalist Party leader was speaking on party media on Sunday.

He also stated that he believes that Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci is not being allowed to take decisions surrounding the pandemic.

“Robert Abela continues to sweep the problems under the carpet,” he said.

The incoming PN leader said people are questioning Abela’s leadership, after his perseverance in saying that everything is under control.

“MUMN has said that up to 50 operations a day are being cancelled. This means that loved ones who need urgent surgery are being told they will have to wait even longer. This is happening because, instead of ensuring that the country remained vigilant, the PM told us that the pandemic was behind us,” Grech said.

He stated that Malta is now on a number of countries’ red zone, thanks to the PM’s mistakes.

“This is the Prime Minister’s fault,” Grech exclaimed.

Grech called on health authorities to address the problem now, and allow Gauci to introduce harsher measures.

Among Grech’s examples on government’s failure to act, he mentioned rapid testing which will be introduced on the 28 October.

“This has been available for months. Had we been in possession of such a technology, we would have had a different scenario to the one we are in,” he said.

On migration, the PN leader said Malta’s main migration issue is the importation of foreign workers by government to accelerate Malta’s economic growth.

He said that government’s lack of planning has resulted in a large number of foreign workers stuck in Malta without a job.