A PN MP’s proposal to have a Gozo-elected regional council take major decisions concerning the island sparked a partisan tit-for-tat on Friday.
The proposal, made by Gozitan MP Chris Said and reported by Times of Malta on Thursday, prompted a vehement reaction from the Labour Party, which accused the PN of wanting to downgrade the Gozo Ministry and add extra bureaucracy to Gozitan governance.
In a reaction on Friday, the Nationalist Party hit back by noting that it was a Labour government in 1996 which had removed the Gozo Ministry, and that PN governments had always had a minister dedicated to the island.
“Labour has no shame. Now, they are trying to claim that a new Nationalist Government would dismantle the Ministry for Gozo,” the PN said.
It added that its proposal to have a regional council for Gozo was endorsed by Gozitan social partners and was also part of the party’s electoral manifesto in the past two elections, along with a proposal to have Gozo identified as an island-region in Malta’s constitution.
“The PN has always been consistent on this issue. Even before the 2022 election, the Partit Nazzjonalista promised to give Gozo a Regional Council elected by Gozitans, with executive powers and the necessary funding to implement initiatives and projects,” it said.
“Instead of continuing to spread fake news – something Labour has become an expert at – they should tell us whether they agree that Gozo should become an Island Region and whether the Constitution should be amended to safeguard Gozo’s identity and regional status,” the party said.
Labour was quick to hit back.
In a statement sent one hour later, the party asked why the PN statement was not signed by its spokesperson for Gozo, MP Alex Borg.
“Could it be that Chris Said, who rumours have it will not contest the coming general election, suddenly has had a change of heart and wants a political hold over Gozo, thus his suggestion for a Gozo Regional Council which would have absolute control over Gozitan affairs rendering the Gozo Ministry a mere formality?” the party asked.
“Whatever the case, Gozitans should not be made to pay for an internal PN power struggle in Gozo. That is deeply unfair,” it said.
Labour said Gozitans had already rejected the PN’s regional council proposal in the 2022 general election but the PN “does not give a hoot about this.”