Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech on Wednesday questioned why Prime Minister Robert Abela has yet to officially comment on a Transport Malta driving test corruption case that has implicated an unnamed minister.
In an interview on the party's radio station, NET FM, Grech said that while "nobody is shocked" that the government is once again involved in a major corruption scandal, is it appalling that the prime minister has not yet commented about it.
On Monday, it emerged in court that at least one unnamed government minister has been linked to a driving theory test corruption case involving three Transport Malta officials.
Ministers professed ignorance of the driving test scandal as they exited a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, while the Office of the Prime Minister told Times of Malta it was "not aware of any charges having been issued against any government minister, or of any pending judicial proceedings."
Abela has yet to comment on the case.
"Who was the minister involved and why have we not heard from Prime Minister Robert Abela? Why has there not been action taken? What is holding Abela back? What is he worried about?
"Abela is obliged to answer and ensure these things do not occur and if they do, then he should act," Grech said.
Quality of life deteriorating
Reiterating similar comments he has made in recent days, Grech also spoke about what he said is deteriorating quality of life. He said that while politicians might not be suffering, those with lower incomes are struggling to make ends meet.
"You have people who up until recently were living comfortably, but now they are struggling. Where are the politicians and Abela? What are they doing to address this issue?
"It is evident that they have no solutions ready. They didn't reduce the persons of trust, or the number of direct orders...instead, they save money off the university, education and people's quality of life," Grech said.
E-scooters issues
Meanwhile, referring to a series of proposals published by the party and aimed at addressing issues with e-scooters, Grech said he is "proud" that the PN is once again "proactive".
"I am proud the PN is proactive and that the party studies and consults before coming out with proposals. E-scooters are a good alternative but issues need to be addressed," he said, referring to problems with illegal parking of the scooters and overspeeding.
Grech said that while it is "fine to finetune rules", the Labour government seems to simply introduce new laws and then stop there.
"The same happened with the cannabis law where we still have an authority that does not yet function.
"It is evident the government had no plan when it comes to e-scooters," he says.
Independence Day celebrations
On the upcoming Independence Day celebrations, Grech said that this "historic event" should always be marked.
Times of Malta reported on Monday that the PN will not be returning to the Floriana Granaries for this year's Independence Day celebrations and will instead mark the day next to a monument nearby.
Details on the party's events have yet to be unveiled, although Grech dismissed claims the celebrations were being scaled down.
"Some people are trying to diminish the importance of this event because of the way we are celebrating but we are looking to celebrate differently so that all of Malta can mark this event," he said.
Up until 2018, the PN's week-long Independence Day celebrations traditionally culminated in a boisterous mass meeting at the granaries attended by thousands of supporters.