Updated 10pm

Malta is no longer recognisable under a Labour government, which has lost control and direction and has now admitted that after more than a decade in power it was unable to create a quality country, Bernard Grech said. 

In his budget replica speech, the Nationalist Party leader lashed out at Labour's track record.

People are not better off, poverty is on the rise, the environment has taken a historic hit and quality of life is declining while Robert Abela remains locked in an “ivory tower” from where he is unable and unwilling to give people what they need, he said.

“Under this government, Malta is no longer recognisable. It’s not the Malta you know,” he said.

Touching upon various sectors during a speech that stretched over two hours, Grech said irrespective of beliefs or past political alliances, there is one thing every Maltese person craves – to recognise the Malta they once knew.

The Maltese wish they could live happily in the country instead of worrying about it, he said, and they wish their children yearned for a beautiful future in their own country, instead of having to find it in another country.

Grech harshly criticised the government's slogans, saying they are empty, meaningless gimmicks.

“Slogans don’t feed people. Is this the Malta you wanted our children to inherit? You gave our children a suffocating country and you’re denying them a peaceful, happy childhood and a secure future.”

Furthermore, Budget 2025 failed to address poverty and the increasing number of people who risk falling below the poverty line, he said, because wealth is spread unjustly.

He acknowledged the government’s energy subsidies but said they fell short of helping those who need them the most, dubbing the Stabbiltà scheme as an electoral gimmick that nobody believed would solve the problem. 

“We’ve come to a point when we celebrate the opening of a soup kitchen,” he said.

“It’s good to support these initiatives but we must also realise that this is another sign of the government’s failure. Soup kitchens are another reminder of how badly this country turned out when we were promised everyone would become wealthy (sinjur żgħir).”

He also took a dig at Abela’s recent promotional video working out at the gym, saying it was about time he found some time to pick up the weight of the country and its people.

Budget slogan is an admission of failure

Grech said the government’s own budget slogan – Pajjiż ta’ Kwalità (A Country of Quality) – admits Labour was unable to build quality in over a decade in power. 

“After they spent years telling us the best is yet to come, after 13 budgets this government now says it wants to seek quality,” Grech said.

“What is this if not an admission of failure and mediocrity?”

The budget measures were "more of the same" and hardly solved people's real problems, and there was not a single measure that clearly explained how the country will move towards the government’s own vision of quality, he said.

Conversely, PN believes Malta has always been a quality country because its people are hard-working, wise, skilled and intelligent, he said.

“This country needs a quality government – a Nationalist government.”

In a speech lasting over two hours, Grech said all Maltese shared a desire to recognise the Malta they once knew. Photo: Jonathan Borg.

‘Abela lost control’

Grech said the budget outs the government for what it is – a lethargic administration without a plan and without a strategic direction run by a prime minister who lost control.

“Ministers don’t communicate between them and turn their heads away from people and their problems.”

The government is so afraid to lose power that it is now attempting to shut educators up and demanding they ask for permission before they speak their mind, he said. A PN government would defend that right and encourage them to speak out even more.

On the other hand, he said, a government run by him would ensure every decision is measured by the quality of life it creates. For PN this will not be a political slogan simply splashed on billboards, but a genuine programme for the future.

“We believe in an economic model that empowers citizens and local councils, that seriously prioritises education, innovation and sustainability – a government that focuses on quality jobs for all.”

What would PN do?

Grech dedicated a part of his speech to explain what a PN government would do differently.

He said he would also reduce taxes, as a PN government has already done in the past, and promised to allow parents to benefit from the parent tax rate even after their children turn 18, so they may benefit from a lower tax rate while their children further their studies.

He would also immediately remove the budget measure that requires people born in 1976 and afterwards to pay 42 years, instead of 41, in social security contributions before they can retire on full pension.

He also called for an autonomous foundation to be set up that would administer government money, so that it strips the minister of the power to decide who gets money and who doesn’t.

A PN government would also take special care of Gozo, which according to Grech has been left with degrading infrastructure and empty promises.

PN would design a 30-year local and social plan tailor-made for Gozo, he said, as well as an infrastructure agency that works specifically for the needs of the sister island.

It would also grow Gozo's Mġarr harbour and look into the possibility of building an alternative harbour that would permit other ferry routes and helps Gozo Channel work more effectively.

He also promised he would also do a clean sweep in government, just like PN did when it was elected in 1987.

Shadow Finance Minister Graham Bencini said outside Parliament change could only come from a PN government. Photo: Jonathan Borg.

'Malta needs a quality PN government'

In statement outside Parliament following Grech’s speech, the PN reiterated the need for a new vision for Malta, stressing change could only come from a Nationalist government.

Even budgetary measures were not enough as they do not address people's primary concerns, namely cost-of-living and quality-of-life issues, the Opposition argued.

Speaking alongside Grech, shadow Finance Minister Graham Bencini said, “Malta needs a quality government, and that government is a PN government.”