When you weaken the party, you weaken the country - Bernard Grech on Robert Arrigo

Opposition leader Bernard Grech insisted that he never tried to withhold publication of an ethics report into Naxxar Mayor Annemarie Muscat Fenech Adami, adding that anyone with such claims should bring them to the party structures. 

In an interview on the Nationalist Party's radio station, Grech maintained that claims by former party deputy leader Robert Arrigo over the ethics report were false. He added that such qualms should be brought before the party's internal structures. 

"It's not fair to say that the leader of the party prevented publication because the [ethics] board came to a conclusion that I did not like," he said on Thursday. 

Arrigo's initial claim was that Grech lied on national television when he said last June that the internal investigation was not yet concluded. He said that the report was ready "months ago", but Grech did not like the outcome because it contradicted his stand when asking the mayor to resign. 

"Whenever we weaken the party, we weaken the country. Whenever we say things that aren't true... or even if they're true, bring it to the party organs," Grech said.

Air Malta

Grech insisted that Air Malta is a necessary pillar of the local tourism sector, but added that the government was making promises to the airline's workers that could not be kept. 

In January, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana had announced that Air Malta's workforce would be halved under plans to make the airline financially viable. The employees who chose to voluntarily leave the company were offered alternative employment with the government. 

However, The Shift News reported that Caruana is now reneging on this commitment.

"Government has an obligation to save Air Malta, but not at the expense of workers that have given such a good service.

Grech also accused government of reckless spending, specifically by spending millions on direct orders or failed public-private partnerships like the Vitals concession. 

"It's good to build flyovers, but holding an opening ceremony six times isn't good. You're wasting millions in tax payer money for propaganda," he said. 

On traffic, Grech said government spent millions on road projects without a coherent plan. "They spent money on nice projects, helped in certain areas, yet you still get stuck in traffic."

He particularly slammed Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia for blaming recent traffic jams on roads clsoed for village festas.

Grech touched on security concerns, noting that many police officers are leaving the corps and feeling demoralised. He argued that this means localities might be more exposed to crime hotspots. 

He also spoke about the recent introduction of the EU Work-Life Balance Directive, which Nationalist MP David Casa negotiated. He said government transposed the bare minimum of the directive, "just enough to not get in trouble with the EU". 

Grech concluded by saying that the party will not stop renewing itself and will be on the look-out for new blood, while restructuring the PN media wing while strengthening the work of party committees.