Bernard Grech on Robert Abela: 'Defending Joseph Muscat means defending the damage he caused'

Opposition leader Bernard Grech has criticised the Prime Minister's defence of Joseph Muscat, who had to step down as Prime Minister himself in the midst of a political crisis in 2019.

During a telephone interview on the PN-owned Net FM, Grech said that by continuing to defend Muscat, Abela defends all the damage that Muscat and his colleagues caused in previous years.

“We can’t remain in the shadow of the most corrupt person in 2019,” he said, referring to OCCRP naming Muscat as the 2019 Person of the Year in Organised Crime and Corruption.

Abela has often stated that Joseph Muscat forms no part of his government. He said this after Joseph Muscat was interrogated by police last year while still a Labour MP, and again after Chinese negotiator Cheng Chen was revealed as the man behind the secretive Macbridge.

However, Abela is yet to come out with a clear condemnation of Muscat's actions in government. 

'No need to be a politician to work with the PN'

On politics, Grech said that the next election should not be about voting for “the lesser of two evils”, adding that this mentality is only contributing to a political race to the bottom.

“We can’t compete in a race to the bottom but as a race to the surface,” he said. “We can’t tell you to vote for us just because we are better than the Labour Party.”

The Nationalist Party made headlines over the week after Lovin Malta’s now former CEO Chris Peregin announced that he will be stepping away from the media portal in return for a strategist role in the Nationalist Party.

On this, Grech applauded Peregin for the decision. He remarked that Peregin didn’t simply decide to commit a few hours a day to the cause, but completely left his former job to dedicate himself full time to the party.

“He has a duty to make a difference,” he said.

Grech remarked that some people may not feel comfortable joining the Nationalist Party because they feel that they are not ready or that they are not welcome in the party.

However, he asserted that the party is ready to bring in new faces, and that no one will be looked down on by party members.

“There’s no need to be a politician to work with us,” Grech said.

He mentioned how Francis Zammit Dimech and Ċensu Galea, both longstanding party stalwarts, recently stepped down from their General Council roles in the Nationalist Party to make way for newer faces.

“People like them gave their life and strength to the party. Now they know they have to make space for new faces,” Grech said.

Grech briefly touched on the pandemic, emphasising that government must listen to expert advice on the issue so as not to experiment with people’s lives. 

On travelling during the pandemic, he commented that some need to travel for work and to meet family abroad or in Malta.

“Summer should be a time for relaxation and regeneration, but unfortunately we’re worrying about COVID-19,” he remarked.