Delia promises to tackle overpopulation and restore health sector

Adrian Delia has said Malta’s growing population as a result of imported labour is burdening the country’s infrastructure and pledged a different economic model.

Speaking during an interview on NET TV on Sunday, Delia outlined his three main priorities for the country.

“The government of Joseph Muscat and Robert Abela decided on an economic model to grow the economy by growing the population,” Delia said. “There are groups of people who are not satisfied with the tremendous increase in population and the burdens it brings on infrastructure.”

Delia is one of two candidates vying for the Nationalist Party’s leadership. The vote will take place on Saturday 6 September.
He said overpopulation was his first priority. He argued that the current government’s economic model has put pressure on the country’s roads, energy plants and distribution systems. He said this was already causing Malta to lose important investments.

His second priority, he said, would be the environment and planning issues. “This government is awarding those who want to abuse the country and those who want to invest,” he said.

On healthcare, Delia spoke about his court experience to cancel the contract that awarded three public hospitals to an obscure private company. He said the court victory has already saved taxpayers €150 million over nearly two years.

“The health sector will not return to what it was during a Nationalist government time, when your mind was at rest,” he said. “We need to go beyond that to truly have the best health service that the country deserves.”

Delia criticised the current state of Malta’s hospitals. He pointed to long waiting lists, people waiting for appointments, and problems in the renal unit where dialysis cannot be performed. He called the situation an “emergency”.

On education, Delia argued for a complete change of the system. He said the current approach prepares students for jobs that won’t exist by the time they graduate.

“We need to give our children the tools to become thinkers and innovators,” he said. Delia also addressed party unity. He drew on his 30 years of experience as a lawyer to explain his approach to building consensus.

“Those who didn’t agree with me are now agreeing with me strongly. Those who didn’t understand my message are now embracing this message,” he said.

Delia said his campaign slogan We Win was about winning back trust from different groups, including young people, businesses, and Nationalists who felt hurt by the party.