[WATCH] 'We cannot remain passive in front of rising poverty and poor quality of life' - Bernard Grech

During his New Year message, the PN leader emphasised that the state has a duty to defend and sustain life at every stage of its existence

PN leader Bernard Grech (Photo: PN)
PN leader Bernard Grech (Photo: PN)

PN and Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said that the country could not remain passive in front of rising poverty and a decrease in the quality of life.

In a recorded message to the nation for the New Year, Grech emphasised that family was the base of a strong society, where liberty, democracy, and justice reigned.

Similar to his Christmas message, Grech stressed on the importance of the value of life and that the Maltese state had the duty to protect lives and prevent deaths on the road and at the place of work.

“I am worried when people act indifferently to deaths and when those responsible do not take action. Such deaths are accumulating and I question whether the value of life became something that could be just used and discarded,” Grech said.

“We need to make sure that the state defends and sustains life at every stage and condition…that the state truly respects everyone’s dignity, from the beginning of existence… that the state is there to protect life from every circumstance that could put it in peril, especially the most vulnerable and voiceless.”

The PN leader said that no one could remain passive in front of circumstances that decreased the quality of life. He said that poverty was on the rise, with new soup kitchens opening up and rising inflation.

“How can we remain passive when we witness the main health and education sectors struggling and losing important programs? We can’t remain passive in front of environmental degradation, as a result of decisions taken by the government and institutions that are bound to protect it,” Grech stated.

He said that youths continuously said that they sought a future outside of the country and emphasised that Malta had to offer a better choice for their future.

Grech said that he also could not remain passive in front of an attempt by the Prime Minister to hijack the Office of the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life and nominate a Commissioner without an agreement with the Opposition.

“It is our duty to shine a spotlight on the difficulties that the Maltese are facing and to sound our voices and take action to find the required solutions. We want a country that is clean and beautiful and that provides a future for youths,” Grech said.