Bernard Grech on Sunday described his political rival Robert Abela as "cold-hearted" for persisting in failing to launch a public inquiry into the death of Jean Paul Sofia.

Sofia, 20, was killed in a building collapse on a Corradino construction site.

Times of Malta revealed how the government land on which the private factory was being built is leased to an alleged human trafficker, Kurt Buhagiar. 

The Opposition tabled a parliamentary motion urging the government to launch a public inquiry into the collapse. Sofia's parents, meanwhile, wrote an open letter in which they blamed their son's death on inaction by state entities as well as those responsible for the construction site’s development.

Since the tragedy, Sofia's family, the PN and civil society groups have called for a public inquiry into his death, however, the government’s position is that a magisterial inquiry into the tragedy is enough to bring those responsible to justice. 

MPs are expected to vote on the PN's motion which the government has since amended to one urging a speedier magisterial inquiry instead.

Interviewed on the PN radio NetFM, Grech reiterated Abela "had something to hide".

“Abela is cold-hearted. He should say what is keeping him from joining the rest of the nation that is calling for an independent inquiry. If he has nothing to hide, the best thing he can do is launch a public inquiry.

"The more he persists in his stubbornness, the more we are convinced he has something to hide,” Grech told radio listeners.

The Opposition MPs, he said, had already questioned the manner in which the Corradino site land had been leased to people despite their questionable past.

Grech said a national coalition excluding Abela, had formed over the call for an independent public inquiry.

“On one side there are Jean Paul’s parents Isabelle and John, his relatives, the PN, the independent media, editors, columnists, NGOs and influencers who are backing [Sofia’s] mother as she calls for an inquiry to ensure no other child of this nation dies because of a government that does not want to look into improving work conditions.

“On the other side - in isolation – there is Abela who keeps stamping his feet. I cannot forget the image of Abela, during a sitting we had this week, banging his hands on the table as he insists against launching a public inquiry.”

Grech reiterated national unity on the issue, saying this was an opportunity to stand up to the “cowboys’ tyranny”.

But while PN will this week vote in favour of a public inquiry, Abela will continue protecting those deemed more important than the children of our nation, he added.

'People are suffocating in Malta'

During his interview, Grech also spoke of a sense of suffocation and overcrowding he said several people were experiencing in Malta. This applied to beaches, hospitals and buses, among others, urging listeners to imagine how worse the situation will be in a few years if the government retained the current economic model.

“We not only want, but we need a better economic direction that is based on quality rather than an increase in population, which is what Abela’s government is doing,” he said.

But while people were feeling suffocated and overcrowded, others escaped on their boat to Sicily, Grech said, referring to Abela without mentioning him by name. 

Speaking about the increased cost of living, Grech meanwhile said that this was impacting everyone – including those with reasonable wages.

But the same premier that had not empathised with the mother of Sofia was not going to empathise with those impacted by an increase in the cost of living, Grech warned.