Bernard Grech: PN always insisted on the use of masks to combat COVID-19

Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech said the Opposition has always insisted on the use of masks to limit the spread of COVID-19

“We had always said the vaccine was not the only solution and that the use of masks was a necessity to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but they had tried to ridicule us,” Bernard Grech said. “Now we are being proved right.”

Grech’s comments come on the back of new government restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of the coronavirus as new cases continue to rise.

He said government should be more transparent when presenting data on the pandemic, so as to ensure people do not lose trust in the health authorities.

“Government measures cannot be selective. The more government hides, the further away we are from winning the war against COVID-19,” he said.

He also urged people to take the vaccine booster, saying it is crucial for the country to overcome the virus. “Now is not the time to discuss whether it’s good or not, we have the tool, and we have to use it.”

Justyne Caruana should resign

Speaking on the Standard Commissioner report that is believed believed to have found that Education Minister Justyne Caruana breached ethics by assigning a €5,000 a month contract to her boyfriend and former footballer Daniel Bogdanović, Grech said she should shoulder political responsibility and resign.

“These are facts which we have known for a long time. We did not need a report to show us there was wrong doing,” he said.

Grech said the report should be published “immediately”. “Justyne Caurna should shoulder responsibility and resign – let us not have another situation like Rosianne Cutajar’s.”

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He said the decision to award the contract showed a lack of respect towards the teaching profession.

“She gave a €5,000 a month contract to her partner, while teachers receive an average salary of €1,800. Our position is clear - the teaching profession should come first,” the PN leader said.

Cannabis

With a parliamentary vote on the proposed cannabis reform bill set to take place on Tuesday, following the Opposition’s request for a division, Grech said the party position on the issue has always been clearly against it. “We are against the law because it normalises cannabis use.”

He slammed government for not accepting the Opposition’s request for a petition by 53 organisations to be discussed in parliament’s petitions committee.

“Government does not want the petition to be discussed. They are not even listening to their former MP and President of the Republic. It is symptomatic of their approach to politics,” he said. “This also happened at committee stage, when they did not take onboard as single suggestion by NGOs.”

He said the PN will be voting against the law on Tuesday. “The PN will be voting in favour of life and youth’s lives.”

Speaking briefly on the cost of living, Grech said everyone can notice the increase in prices across the board, but government does not want to tackle the issue.

“Instead of government addressing the problem, the PM is using the media and the PBS to hide the truth, and instead of addressing the problem, they try justify it,” he said. “Robert Abela is only interested in the spin.”