Updated 1.25pm
Human rights NGOs have condemned comments from Justin Schembri, the PN's education spokesman, who said Malta was full of "filth, shabbiness and Indians".
Repubblika said the remarks were "dehumanizing" and "discriminatory, racist and an explicit threat" while Aditus called for Schembri to "exit stage" over the "racist" and "repugnant" words.
The MP has stood by comments he wrote under a ONE News Facebook post showing Prime Minister Robert Abela meeting with staff from the cleansing department and Project Green.
He said "the government has turned Malta into a dump" and that the country was "full of filth, shabbiness and Indians".
He doubled down on his statement when contacted by Times of Malta and again later on Facebook, when he said he would "keep talking because I am not afraid to tell the truth."
Rule of Law NGO Repubblika said it condemned his comments "without reservations".
"Those who embrace racism do not have a legitimate political role in a democracy," it said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Nobody should be considered as 'dirt' or be compared to it just because they are of a particular race or any other group,” the NGO added.
It said that similar comments made by a private person are the fruit of ignorance coming from racial prejudice but that they are much worse when repeated by a politician and aspiring education minister.
“The comments of Justin Schembri are discriminatory, racist, and an explicit threat,” the NGO said.
Neil Falzon, director of human rights NGO aditus foundation, also criticised the comments.
"Mr Schembri, your racist populism is not only repugnant but also detrimental to the fabric of our society. Kindly exit the stage and spare us your toxic presence."
It encouraged party leader Bernard Grech, who has yet to comment on the issue, to "take note".
"We would like to stress that bigotry, discriminatory and divisive politics have no place in our society, in our parliament," it said.
They also called on the government to finalise an integration policy and the effective implementation of the anti-racism strategy.
Former PD leader Anthony Buttigieg called for Schembri to be "immediately sacked".
"A teacher, no less, that has shown his true racist and xenophobic colours," he said. "If PN keeps him in the shadow cabinet, quite frankly, the party does not deserve a vote".
Equality junior minister Rebecca Buttigieg accused the PN of resorting to populism.
"This is the vision of the PN for foreign workers; it doesn't even consider them as people let alone how they are prepared to draw up policies that can protect them from exploitation," she said.