Bernard Grech has criticised people who pit Maltese against foreigners when discussing public order issues, days after his party called for foreigners who break the law to be deported.
The security issues Malta is currently facing should not be about "the fight between Maltese and foreigners", the Nationalist Party leader said on Wednesday.
They should never be about whether those involved are Maltese or not, Grech said, insisting he does not like "this sort of rhetoric".
His comments come just days after the PN said in a statement it wants foreigners caught breaking the law to be deported immediately. The party also called for the army to be brought in to help enforce rules. The statement, signed by Home Affairs shadow minister Joe Giglio and Alex Borg was issued after a massive 25-man brawl broke out in Ħamrun on Thursday.
Speaking during a phone interview on the party's radio station NET FM, Grech instead blamed the Labour government for the recent spate of fights, insisting the police force is not functioning as it should, resulting in no public order.
"This is the Labour government's fault and we will keep making sure that Robert Abela and his government address this. People should feel they can be serene and live in peace. We need a functioning police force. We all have a right to enjoy public spaces," Grech said.
University cost-cutting
On the decision to cut costs at the University, Grech said that the government had no problem paying the same amount for the Malta Film Awards and other direct orders or contracts.
"Leave our University alone," Grech said.
The party is "obviously" in favour of not wasting any money, Grech said, however, the Labour government has always criticised the PN whenever it warned against overspending.
Quality of life and cost of living
Grech also spoke about the importance of making sure that "everyone in Malta has a right to good quality of life".
"This has been deteriorating for years. Last week, I was speaking to a person who has an ongoing court case. This individual feels that the courts, as well as the police, did not ensure there is justice. There are hundreds of people just like this woman. This contributes to the deterioration of quality of life," Grech said.
He also referred to those struggling to make ends meet, saying that while they were struggling daily, "the government wastes money by handing millions to Steward".
"All these contribute to the deterioration of good quality of life. Then you have the cherry on the cake - overdevelopment. Everywhere you look there are projects and abuse is rampant, be it Malta, Gozo and even Comino.
"They [government] only have one plan - to win elections to keep making millions. No wonder the people are so angry," Grech said referring to a recent Times of Malta report showing the Maltese are the angriest in Europe.