The Nationalist Party has criticised the government's 2022 budget for failing to provide any measures to get Malta off the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list.
“The government has ignored the elephant in the room, that today we find ourselves on the FAFT greylist, and that this has a huge damage effect on our economic development and future," PN economic spokesperson Kristy Debono said on Tuesday.
"Instead, our finance minister gave us an economic lecture and failed to provide any proposals or plans on how we will develop our economic future and re-build our reputation."
Debono was speaking during a press conference a day after the government presented the budget for 2022.
Speaking on Monday evening, Prime Minister Robert Abela said that the government was already working on an action plan on removing Malta from the FATF greylist.
What would the PN have done?
When asked what measures the Nationalist Party would have proposed to address greylisting, Debono said a new Nationalist government would "from day one" address impunity and work hard to fix the country’s reputation.
“We would work straight away and ensure that those responsible for placing our island on this list will be addressed and we will work on our reputation and getting back on the white list.”
The entire population would have to bear the burden of greylisting, she said, "yet our government completely ignores the issue, and never mentions reputation."
“It is a budget where our children will be left to pay huge debts of a government which never planned long-term, damaged our reputation and destroyed our children’s future.”
A budget 'full of bluffs'
PN candidate Noel Muscat said this year’s budget was "full of bluff" and "vote catching".
He echoed Opposition leader Bernard Grech’s speech, pointing out the budget ignoring pandemic front liners, nurses and educators.
“Do we thank them? No, but Vitals and Electrogas are remembered in this budget and the government provides them with money, so they can continue stealing from us,” he said.
He said the government was to present a budget for the future, but fails to mention the future and only provides proposals for the present.
Another election candidate, Jerome Caruana Cilia asked why the government failed to mention any proposals for artificial intelligence and blockchain.
“Before the government used these two buzzwords continuously, yet the government has done nothing to make their blockchain island a reality. What happens to all the students who studied in this field? Where will they go?”
He said the Nationalist Party admitted there are some good measures, but that the government has failed to address pressing issues such as the increasing prices.
“A budget that ignores the increase in cost of living and how many families and workers are constantly struggling with the minimum wage they have today.”