Bernard Grech has insisted that the Nationalist Party has not turned to populism and retains the dignity of the individual at the heart of its politics.  

The PN leader was speaking a day after veteran MP Mario de Marco dedicated his short speech at the PN general council on Sunday to emphasise the party’s ideological roots as “a centrist party which looks to the left”.  

“Populism is not our road. I would prefer to live another five years in opposition rather than five years in government living a lie,” de Marco said.  

The PN has recently been accused of using populist rhetoric, particularly when discussing population growth and the increase in foreign workers. Grech even claimed that Malta’s population had “almost doubled” since 2013. 

On Monday, Grech said he agreed with the comments made by his MP.  

“Mario de Marco said what the PN is about, which is what we continue to believe, a centrist party which looks to the left because our politics are centred on the human being but, because of that, we must ensure that no one is left behind and no one is a slave in their country,” Grech said. He added he agreed that he would prefer to be in opposition rather than go down the route of populism. 

He said that the PN is not being populist by talking about the rise in prices, traffic, the sense of apathy, modern slavery, precarious working conditions and the increase in soup kitchens. “Is this populist discourse or is it relevant discourse on the realities people are facing,” he asked. 

 

“If we don’t talk about such realities, we definitely can’t address them,” Grech said.  

The PN leader said it was the government who had gone down the road of populism.  

“The government is populist and is ready to do everything as long as it retains power, this is not the Nationalist Party,” he said.

The “populist” government, Grech said, has let children die in our seas. Meanwhile, the PN has always insisted that no one should die in our waters, Grech told Times of Malta by way of example.

“Populism is when Robert Abela says Malta is full up but then imports 37,000 people into our country,” he said.

“The fact is, the country’s quality of life has deteriorated drastically because this is a government that increased the population, almost doubled it, without putting in the necessary investment into the country’s infrastructure,” he said.