Bernard Grech on Sunday slammed Prime Minister Robert Abela for staying silent as the people continue to battle a rising cost of living. 

Speaking during a political activity in Għargħur, the PN leader said the cost of living is on everyone’s lips and is impacting people from all walks of life. 

“The cost of living is a scourge affecting the entire country, and Robert Abela cannot remain silent,” Grech said. 

He pointed to the rising cost of essential products, such as milk, bread, and sugar. 

“There are ministers who do not know the price of products, let alone know these prices are rising. So how can they address these issues, issues which are impacting everyone?”

Grech said that the prime minister’s way of solving the issue was by sending tax refund cheques. What the government was doing was “robbing” taxpayers and then sending people a refund cheque. 

“It is nice that he sends us a cheque, but what this means is that he has given up on addressing the cost of living issue,” Grech said. 

“It means that all the prime minister has left is to give you something(...) something which he has already taken, stolen from you.”

He said the government had also robbed the people through utility overbilling and the only reason behind the ‘refund’ customers receive on their bills was pressure by the  Nationalist Party. 

Abela’s mind is on power and money

Grech also pointed out how patients were suffering due to a shortage of medicine, such as chemotherapy, because of the government’s corruption in the Vitals and Stewards deal. 

In February, the court declared the hospitals’ privatisation deal, originally signed with Vitals, as “fraudulent”.

“The government is broken, it has lost all form of control and has no form of planning when it comes to money,” Grech said. 

“Millions of euros were spent on Vitals and Steward, but not for our patients, or our nurses and doctors. All that money was handed to criminals and the corrupt.”

Grech asked how the government could continue to ignore the reality of the increasing cost of living as more people went to Soup Kitchens and the statistics showed that more people were at risk of poverty. 

“Abela has made a pact with Joseph Muscat, Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri to protect them,” he said. 

“His mind is only focused on power, money and how to look good. The more he focuses on attempting to look powerful, the more people realise that he is weak and confused.”

Grech said even those who used to vouch for Labour were speaking against the party. 

He referred to a Times of Malta opinion piece by Desmond Zammit Marmarà urging genuine Labourites to not vote for the party at next year’s European and local elections to send a “strong message” of dissent to the government. 

He also referred to the resignation of outspoken Xagħra Labour mayor Christian Zammit, and how Abela failed to get him back to the party. 

Youths cannot afford property 

Grech turned his discussion to how many young couples struggle to purchase a property. 

He slammed the government’s recent scheme, providing €1,000 to first time-buyers for the first 10 years. 

“How can €1,000 help them now? They needed help beforehand when they were buying the property,” Grech said.

“The issue is that we have seen an increase in population, which has increased the demand for property. No wonder young people no longer want to live here, so many leave because they have no hope and see no future here,” he added. 

“That is the biggest certificate that this government has failed.”

He said the country cannot afford to lose more youths. 

“We need to provide a safe environment, one where we feel we can live with a sense of justice,” he said.

Grech also spoke about the family of Jean Paul Sofia, which for the past few months has called for a public inquiry into the building collapse which caused his death.

“Abela says we are trying to politicise the issue. How can he say that? He has lost all sense of empathy.”

Speaking at the activity, PN secretary-general Michael Piccinino added that Abela was too “preoccupied with his and his colleagues' scandals” to address the cost of living issues.