Election Desk: Watts the PN's energy plan?

Welcome to the Election Desk. This is where we will round up the major headlines of the last 24 hours, together with some of the more light-hearted and funnier sides of the campaign trail. 

The PN’s secret energy source

PN leader Alex Borg went to Cospicua for his first ‘Sunday sermon’ of the election campaign. The crowd was small but it was energetic, and it absolutely erupted into cheers when Borg pledged that a PN government would lower energy bills by a third. 

He spoke as if the PN had struck oil somewhere in Malta’s exclusive economic zone. He alluded to a new ‘method’ that will allow the government to shrink energy bills, but gave no details whatsover on how this will be achieved. 

Earlier in the week it was Adrian Delia who said that a PN government would bring energy bills down so low that the popular government price capping will no longer be needed. Even then, he did not elaborate further. After the PN spent a week focusing on healthcare proposals, maybe this week they will shift their focus to the energy sector. 

Robert Abela at Labour's Naxxar rally on Sunday. Photo: Christian Sant Fournier.

Here comes the money

Meanwhile, the Labour Party held its own Sunday rally in Naxxar. Abela promised that a freshly elected Labour government would increase the children’s allowance for low and middle income families while boosting in-work benefits.

Labour’s proposals so far have largely been financial. The party has promised tax breaks, grants and increases to existing benefits, but little on capital expenditure. The only infrastrucal pledges made so far by the PL are a Malta-Gozo submarine cable and a third interconnector with Sicily—although it’s worth pointing out that the latter was announced at a government conference, not a Labour event, so it’s unclear whether this is a party pledge or government measure. 

PL candidate Omar Rabbabah. Photo: Facebook.

Solidarity with Omar

It is normal for political parties to disagree on things during an election, but on Sunday practically all major parties stood in solidarity with Omar Rababah, Labour’s newest candidate. 

He announced his candidacy on Saturday, but immediately faced a barrage of racist and hateful comments on social media. Some insisted that a Muslim man should not be allowed to contest local politics.

Since then, the whole political spectrum has come out to show support for Rababah. Robert Abela described him as a “friend” during the Labour rally and thanked him for his courage. The Nationalist Party said it condemned all discriminatory remarks and said anyone who chooses to contribute to politics should be treated with respect, regardless of their origin or beliefs.

Even Momentum and ADPD published statements in his support. Momentum said political leaders should remind their supporters of the real meaning of tolerance and solidarity, while ADPD said a strong democracy must be capable of celebrating diversity. 

Concrete fears

Robert Abela had environmental groups in a panic over the weekend after he said that changes to local plans are overdue. 

The Ġustizzja għal Artna coalition, set up after the government tabled widely unpopular planning reform bills in parliament, said revisions could signal an intention to weaken planning regulations and possibly include more ODZ land in Malta’s development zone. The coalition pointed to recent partial reviews of the local plans, which it said “rewarded and accommodated certain developers”.

Environmental groups are right to be scared of Abela’s remarks. Just last year, the government seemed fine approving a local plan review that will allow development at the historic Villa Rosa. 

And people haven’t forgotten the government’s track record on development. It’s hard to forget when just a couple of days ago, the Planning Authority approved a 22-apartment development near Ġgantija Temples while the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal paved the way for a controversial redevelopment of Fort Chambray. A lot of people will be keeping this in mind when they head to their voting stations on May 30.