Opposition leader Bernard Grech argued on Sunday that the government should have introduced restrictions sooner in order to prevent the rise of COVID-19 cases.
Grech was being interviewed by PBS head of news Norma Saliba in an event organised by the PN
He also said that the party was working on an economic recovery plan to guide the country out of the pandemic and beyond, saying that the party was looking at expanding economic niches, such as aviation, maritime and financial services, as well as a long term energy plan. He brushed off a suggestion that a Nationalist Party government would seek to introduce new taxes, saying that the party had a vision to entice new business activities.
“The more we control numbers today, the less time we remain in the pandemic, and the faster the economy can recover. So we have to see what we can do to keep controlling the virus today and prepare for the betterment of the economy,” Grech said.
Asked whether proposed energy plans that would see a reduction in utility bills will see additional tax incentives introduced, Grech said this would not be necessary when plans incorporated the introduction of new business.
“Our plan incorporates expansion, we are looking at more than one economic niche because this is necessary for the economy to thrive. Incentives are only part of the solution and while the Labour government is looking for one-stop solutions we are looking to the future, to keep generating for the years to come,” he said.
“There are so many avenues we are looking at, pharmaceuticals for example, where we can improve our laws for companies to expand their operations and to attract more companies to our shores. We shouldn't’ restrict ourselves to what we can achieve. There is no need to introduce new taxes where you know where you want to go.”
Discussing the COVID-19 pandemic, Grech said the government had lost control of the situation and the country was bearing the brunt of its failure to act to prevent the situation from aggravating.
He added that the party was calling for a declaration of a public health emergency so that medical professionals could guide the country based on scientific data without the interference of political actors.
“We knew about these variants in November of last year and by December we already had cases on our shores. Had there been rigorous screening at our ports, particularly the airport, the situation could have been contained,” Grech said.
“And despite record numbers, screening is still not being carried out properly, from people arriving from Sicily by catamaran for example. This is why we are calling for the setting up of an independent medical advisory board, so there is increased transparency on what advice the government is being given.”
Asked whether he felt that the more restrictive measures introduced by the government would be satisfactory, Grech again replied that while difficult to determine what the outcome in a month’s time would be in such a fluid situation, he nonetheless believed appropriate measures should have been taken sooner.
“I am a politician, not a doctor and it is medical professionals who need to guide us in this situation, politicians should not interfere. All I can say is that measures needed to be taken earlier and with more vigour,” he said.
“We keep revisiting this issue but prevention is just as important as the cure. It’s important that we keep pressing on this because we need to learn from our mistakes, because if we end up in a similar situation again, we have to know that we are able to take precautions.”
“Unfortunately when it was time to prepare and be vigilant, we weren’t careful, we didn’t take the appropriate measures and now we are suffering the consequences.”
Grech appealed to the public to nonetheless obey the measures in place and take the vaccine if offered.