The ‘climate of impunity’ that has led people to show disrespect towards authority and towards themselves needs to be stopped, PN leader Bernard Grech insisted on Sunday.
He was speaking after two policemen were assaulted after issuing a parking ticket in Hamrun on Saturday night.
Speaking in a NET TV interview, the Opposition leader said he was “shocked” by what had happened and expressed solidarity with officers who encounter dangerous situations daily to keep society safe.
“I am shocked whenever anyone raises his hand or his voice at the police, let alone when they hit them. This is what happens in a climate of impunity when there is a lack of respect towards one another and authority.”
He said that what happened on Saturday was a clear example of what happened when people thought they were above the law.
“Solidarity is not enough, we must build a system where people understand their place in society,” he said.
PL mired by internal difficulties, PN with a plan for society
During the interview, Grech said the PN was ready to push the country forward, with the main priority being the people, not the economy.
While the Labour Party was distracted by its internal difficulties, the PN had a ‘short, medium, and long-term’ plan for the country to move ahead and to provide stability.
Grech said it was clear that Prime Minister Robert Abela was losing control over his party, following the recent internal party elections. He was weak because he continued to make ‘u-turns’ and give in to pressure from those around him.
He also referred to a report in It-Torċa, and noted how the government was leaving people behind as it solely focused on the economy.
He said the Labour government was one of "champagne socialists" because it had forgotten society's most vulnerable groups.
He also spoke about the recent biodiversity strategy published by the Environment Ministry, and said the government continued to publish strategies which were then “left on the shelf to gather dust”.
“This is a government that continues to destroy our environment but promises to protect the biodiversity,” he said.
He said that the majority of fines issued by the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) for breaking laws were imposed on the government or its agencies.