NGOs must be part of the solution towards finding a sustainable planning status quo, Oppositionleader Bernard Grech said one day after crowds of people flooded Valletta in protest at overdevelopment.
In an interview broadcast on the Nationalist Party’s television and social media channels on Sunday, Grech was asked how he felt about the protest and what the PN believes it can do to address the issues brought up by its organisers.
The PN leader said it was right for people to speak up about the situation because quality of life in the country is being bombarded by uncontrolled development, continuous traffic and a government that is overrun with corruption.
The people, Grech said, are aware of what is happening and are protesting their disgust at the “pig-out culture”. The PN, he added, knows it must work to make a difference in this area.
“For us, NGOs are part of the solution and not the problem,” he said.
“We have spoken about how we believe that there is a need for their voice to be heard more when it comes to planning decisions so that together with those in governing bodies and relevant authorities a balance can be created between economic development in the national interest without sacrificing people’s health or quality of life.”
Just this past week, Grech said, he had met with several NGOs, heard their concerns and consulted with them, because the PN has the luxury of making balanced decisions since it is not compromised or in a developer’s pocket.
“We are not pushing politics based on growing the population, we believe that with our 10 economic pillars, we can sustainably grow the economy and offer good quality jobs to all,” he said.
“This is the future, one that is based on quality. We will not accept the importation of cheap labour and the exploitation of foreign workers. We want all people, Maltese and foreign, to be cared for and respected in this country.”
Grech also spoke about how the government is not doing enough to mitigate the impact of the cost of living crisis on the average citizen.
When starting his family more than 20 years ago, he said, he had the opportunity to stay at home with his children while his wife returned to work full time because his work was more flexible, even if it meant a loss of potential income.
However, nowadays, parents can no longer afford to earn less, with some people in full-time employment having to take on a second job part-time to keep up with rising prices.
Grech said that the PN has a plan to allocate €40 million to help importers and exporters tackle the issues with the cost of living crisis at the source.
The PN, he added, is also supporting a proposal by UĦM to stop taxing cost of living wage increases, something the government has yet to take on board, he said.