Criminality and ghettos that are overrunning Maltese villages are instilling fear in people trying to live a normal life, the Opposition leader is claiming.
Speaking during an interview broadcast on Net FM on Saturday, Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia said that if some thought he was exaggerating claims that certain villages are on the verge of becoming “overrun”, then they should ask the people living there what they thought of the situation.
“Take a look at the situation next to the church and closed police station in Marsa, just a short distance from where we are today. Ask the young girls who live there whether they feel safe crossing the road or walking by,” Delia said.
“In villages like Floriana, Ħamrun, Buġibba and St Paul’s Bay, children fear doing simple things like playing with their friends or getting ice-cream in the evening. For our elderly, simple pleasures like putting a chair out on the pavement to chat with their neighbours in the evening, is no longer possible because they don't feel safe.”
The Opposition leader said the government could not expect people to just accept living in fear in their own homes to become a normality. Citizens should expect their government to keep them safe, he added.
“Criminality has become the norm, we are well aware of this when we have murders or violent crimes happening basically once a month,” Delia said.
“But how can we expect a government, which protects criminals within its own ranks, to be tough on crime? When we have an Attorney General who issues instructions for politicians not to be prosecuted to avoid stirring up trouble, we are giving the impression to all that crime pays.
“The people know what the truth is and we need to fight against this occupation of crime in our villages.”
'The brunt of insufficient legislation and enforcement in construction'
Referring to the death of Miriam Pace six months ago, Delia said the public was suffering the brunt of insufficient legislation and a lack of enforcement in the building and construction industry.
“On the subject of people living in fear in their homes, just this morning I met an elderly couple and saw their home riddled with cracks and damage from a neighbouring construction site. Works have stalled on the project next door, but these people have to live in constant fear that they might be buried in their own homes. It’s just not right,” Delia said.
“Our friend Miriam Pace… it pains me because it shouldn't have to come to politicians talking about this. To see a husband say that he’s lost everything, and he’s not referring to the pile of rubble that was once his home,” he said.
“It’s been six months and the government has done nothing - there is no public inquiry to see whether the accident could have been avoided altogether. If there is no sense of justice that this kind of thing will not be allowed to happen again, then she died for nothing.”
The PN leader said that with the resumption of parliament, the Opposition would be continually pressing the government on these issues so that people can feel safe in their homes.
'New PBS board stacked with PL-leaning people'
Discussing the appointment of a new board for the Public Broadcasting Service, Delia said the government had stacked the board with people known to slant towards the Labour Party and this increased the possibility of negative repercussions on the state of democracy.
“We should have known, because Robert Abela had told us that he wasn't satisfied with the ‘imbalance’ at PBS that favours the government. It’s clear that he wanted more control to stamp out critics and control the expression of divergent thoughts,” Delia said.
“This is classic Labour Party thinking from the '70s and '80s: that the media and information should be controlled exclusively by the government. But what are the repercussions? PBS is not simply the state broadcaster, it is the national broadcaster. This is not some dictatorship or regime where the state can constantly twist the truth to fit its narratives.”
“The position of the Opposition is clear. We are not questioning the competence of the chosen people, but it is clear that the slant of the people in charge and the scheduled programming is being manipulated by Castille.”
The PN leader proposed constitutional changes that would see the board represented equally through members of the governing party as well as those from the Opposition. The chair would be appointed from an independent camp to maintain impartiality on the national broadcaster.