The government in the Budget for 2021 forgot all about the future, opposition leader Bernard Grech said on Monday.
In an initial reaction to the budget speech on Facebook, Grech said that while it was easy to say that the budget measures were adequate for the current situation, unfortunately, the budget ‘ignores tomorrow’.
"Some of the Budget proposals are positive while others have been recycled," Grech said.
The government, he said, was ignoring the realities faced by the health and tourism sectors. It was ignoring the financial problems of thousands of families and the uncertainty created by the government itself.
Nothing had been heard about how the issue of water and electricity bills would be addressed in view of recent revelations on the corrupt Electrogas contract.
Nothing had been said about how 83,000 people at risk of poverty would be helped.
Nothing had been heard about a holistic plan to help businesses survive, and nothing had been heard about the challenges facing Gozo.
“This is a budget that forgets the future, a budget which plans for today, but forgets tomorrow,” Grech said.
What this country needed was direction and serious leadership, he added.
But it was clear the government was suffering from fatigue and running out of ideas. The only new ideas had been lifted from the PN's pre-budget document. The document had short, medium and long-term measures, including measures targeted at small businesses as well as investors.
Addressing a press conference later, Grech slammed the government for only giving out COVID-19 aid that amounted to less than €400 per capita and did not include reductions in energy tariffs and fuel prices. Furthermore, there was nothing about how the government would flatten the curve of COVID-19 infections.
Grech said the budget was geared towards short-term results rather than a long-term plan for the country.
The Opposition leader acknowledged that the immediate initiatives were necessary, noting that the vouchers measure, which was originally proposed by the PN, had been extended.
However, the country also needed a long-term framework for the country that could diversify and transform the economy. But this was an incompetent government, as shown by the fact that the Cabinet would be reshuffled, 10 months after being formed.
He said the PN would do what the government had failed, it would come up with such a plan for the economy.
"This country needs hope, the PN can provide this hope," he said.