Opposition points to ‘inconsistency’ over government mass transport pledge

Finance Minister Clyde Caruana has insisted he will not back government’s mass transport project without detailed costings, amid Opposition claims of a growing contradiction between the finance and transport ministries over the electoral pledge.

“I was clear and I will repeat myself: I need to see the numbers,” Caruana said.

Caruana addressed the mass transport system, which was promised by the Labour Party during its electoral campaign, after PN MP Adrian Delia directed a question on the project to Transport Minister Chris Bonett in parliament on Tuesday.

The exchange follows a Times of Malta interview in which Caruana confirmed that he has yet to be provided with estimated figures for the transport system.

Delia called on Bonett to explain why the figures had not yet been provided to Caruana, how the promised project could move forward without them, and what would happen to the pledge if they remained unavailable.

PN MP Toni Bezzina also questioned how, after eight years of studies which he said had already cost millions, the finance minister still did not have the figures behind the project.

“What are you waiting for from the transport ministry?” Bezzina asked.

Instead of Bonett, Caruana replied, questioning how he could responsibly avoid asking for detailed figures on a project of such scale.

The finance minister described the project as “enormous”, noting that earlier reports estimated its cost could reach up to 30% of Malta’s GDP.

He argued that government already takes considerable time to complete far smaller projects, adding that an undertaking of this size could not happen immediately.

“I am sure that when [Bonett] has the numbers, he will give them to me,” Caruana said. “When he does, I will give my opinion.”

Delia again called on Bonett to answer, arguing that Caruana had already cast doubt on the project’s financial feasibility. He asked whether the transport minister still believed the project would go ahead.

“There is a clear inconsistency between the transport ministry and the finance ministry,” Delia said. “Who should we believe?”

Caruana again responded, saying government first needed to complete the necessary technical work and establish the project’s true cost before deciding whether it made financial sense.

“We are not making a pavement or a road. This will cost billions. We aren’t digging a hole and filling it with concrete if we make a mistake,” he said.

“All technical works need to be carried out. We need to understand what this investment truly means.”