Alex Borg invites Robert Abela to a debate

Opposition leader Alex Borg has invited Prime Minister Robert Abela to a debate.

Borg made his invitation during a meeting with Abela at PN HQ on Friday, where the two leaders spoke about a few themes. 

Here, Borg took the opportunity to invite Abela to debate him, joking that the journalists in the room and the general public would love to see the two go head-to-head.

Among other subjects, Borg spoke of the importance of safeguarding the environment. He referenced civil society’s mass protest on Saturday where hundreds of activists and politicians called on government to withdraw its controversial planning changes. 

Borg further spoke of the PN’s private member bill to make the environment a human right, stating that he hoped the two parties united on the issue. 

The two leaders also talked about the need for Malta to have an effective mass transport system. 

Here, Prime Minister Robert Abela said that a mass transport solution needs to be studied and cannot be rushed. He further explained that government doesn’t believe mass transport needs to be tackled by one mode of transport. 

Abela too hoped that the two leaders can find common ground on this issue. 

On the environment, Abela avoided mentioning the mass opposition towards his planning bills.

Instead, he focused on Manoel Island’s transformation into a national park. Abela said that this show’s government’s commitment to the environment.

Abela told Borg that he wished to find an opposition willing to be on the same page as government when it comes to the 2026 budget.

The party leaders and their administrations also shared a moment of silence for the one-year-old baby who died after he was left in a car in the Mater Dei Hospital parking area on Thursday.