WATCH | Borg insists OPM pressured NGOs to openly criticise PN’s environment proposal

Opposition Leader Alex Borg insists that OPM officials and ministers had reached out to hobbyist NGOs and pressured them to publish statements against the PN’s bill to enshrine the environment in the Constitution. 

Borg made the claim during an interview on Xtra with Saviour Balzan.

A number of hobbyist NGOs, such as hunting and sports associations, had spoken against this bill with feat that it could impact their practice.  Borg denied that this was the intention of this inclusion in the Constitution.

When asked if a PN in government would respect a European court ruling banning hunting and trapping, Borg said that he would defend the right for hunters and trappers to practice their sport, although he did not say how.

“I am aware that there have been a number of telephone calls from high OPM officials to a number of NGOs to issue statements against [the PN]. I am also certain that on the issue of highrise towers in Gozo, people involved in OPM communications called a number of NGOs and Gozitan social stakeholders to publish statements against me […] Even WhatsApp messages have been sent by ministers calling for critical statements to be issued against the Opposition.”

Borg said the prime minister was being hypocritical on the matter. He said that in 2022, Robert Abela recognised the environment as a fundamental human right during the United Nations General Assembly then voted against this during the vote on the private members’ bill presented by the PN.

Borg said that a government green paper published on the same day that this private members’ bill was presented was a sad move to block the bill.

During the interview, Borg spoke about other recent controversies. On the Stewards hospitals concession, he accused the PL of strategically publishing the tribunal ruling after publishing their own statement about it to “shape the narrative in their own favour”.

He also called out the PL for blaming Adrian Delia for “losing” the arbitration case, whilst the only defence they used in the tribunal hearing were in fact the court sentences from the court case instituted in Malta by Delia.

Borg also criticised the fact that neither Konrad Mizzi, Chris Fearne, nor any permanent secretaries were called to the stand to give their testimonies. He said the Labour Party would rather the truth be kept hidden.

On the increase in the wages of MPs and ministers, Borg clarified that he will be giving his increase to charity. He said that he agrees that there is a need for a “holistic reform in the wages and conditions of parliamentarians” but this is not as imminent as other issues that affect all of the population, such as inflation. He mentioned the €4.66 increase in COLA and said this was not adequate for salaried workers.

Borg also talked about overpopulation. “The [economic] model that the Labour government kickstarted with Joseph Muscat together with Clyde Caruana, who used to manage the agency for work, was followed through by Robert Abela,” Borg said about dependence on foreign workers in certain sectors. 

He insisted that the complete dependence on foreign workers had to change, and a PN government would work to bring this dependence down.

In a round of quickfire questions, Borg clarified that the PN will never be in favour of abortion even if a referendum would show a majority in favour. On euthanasia, he said he would give a free vote to his MPs.