Bernard Grech said on Sunday that while Malta needed to ensure the safety of lives at sea, in line with international law, this should not be to the detriment of the island's security.
Fielding questions from designer Luke Azzopardi on the PN's broadcasting stations, the PN leader said "we need to safeguard lives and people's dignity and humanity, however, everything comes at a price - not just a monetary one.
"The financial price is the one that worries me the least. What worries me is security. It's one thing taking on 10 people and another thing taking on 100,000... there are millions of people living in Africa so there is a possibility of thousands leaving their countries for Europe."
Grech first insisted that a serious government would follow international laws, helping those at risk in Maltese waters, but soon referred to recent efforts of bolstering the local labour force with third-country nationals.
“Over the past years, people arrived in Malta on boats while others were purposely brought over from abroad, treated as currency. We need to understand the value of humanity and that these people are not objects, to be used by us for the benefit of our economy," he said.
“However, we also need to understand that while we rescue people at sea, we need to ensure the Maltese people’s security. Wherever possible we need to follow the law, however, we cannot let them do whatever they want.
"We need to take care of them, feed them and process their papers as most of them want to move on to other countries or ask for asylum."
"Delayed processing of migrants is often the problem. We end up with a large number of them here, and we end up seeing them as a problem."
Grech added that migrants were not a problem, but had been turned into one, recalling the fear by elderly people from his hometown of Birżebbuġa "of people on benches and squares", fuelled by stigma.
"You need to understand that even the Maltese want peace of mind. Education is important, however, you need to understand that not everyone has the same opinion about people coming from abroad, most often, from Africa."
He skirted a direct question on whether, as a prime minister, he would rescue people at sea while other country leaders are disputing who is responsible for their lives, saying "I would do my obligation according to law and will not allow any other [foreign] prime minister to bully me."
Over the past weeks, humanitarian NGOs have complained that the Armed Forces of Malta does not communicate with them or the media, with requests for information ignored.
Last week, a horrific image of a dead person lodged in an inflatable ring reflected the likely fate of 130 people missing and feared to have drowned after their rubber boat capsized in stormy seas.
Meanwhile on Saturday, rescuers retrieved 97 people who had been drifting on a wooden boat in Malta’s search and rescue zone without fuel or food, many crammed below decks.
Sea Watch, which carried out the rescue, said Maltese authorities had informed them they were keeping the boat under observation and invited the NGO to be coordinated by Germany, its flag state.
Tax-exempt NGOs?
During the same interview, Grech suggested that value-added tax could be lifted for some services or consumables provided by NGOs.
The authorities recently implemented new rules, first drawn in September, requiring voluntary groups to seek the approval of the commissioner of voluntary organisations in various steps involved in raising funds.
NGOs have warned that if the controversial regulations are not withdrawn, the issue will end up at the Council of Europe.
Asked specifically whether such organisations should be tax-exempt, he said that small NGOs who have a regularised income should not be dealt another blow through taxation.
IVF medication should be free
Answering questions about in-vitro fertilisation treatment, Grech criticised the government for failing to provide the medication for free, as it had pledged to do.
He claimed that while the service was provided free of charge, medicines required for each IVF cycle could cost up to €15,000 for each couple.
These couples are already suffering huge hardships, and a PN government would also provide medication free of charge, he said.
Malta first introduced IVF into the public health service in October 2013, following year-long delays. While medical services for fertility treatment are offered for free, stimulation medicines required at the outset must be bought.
Grech also said that the Opposition will, in the coming days, launch its proposals for better mental well-being, focusing on the importance of equipping children with knowledge on how to deal with mental challenges from a young age.
Mental health is the pandemic of the future, he warned.
He also called for ensuring people's dignity at mental wellbeing facilities such as Mount Carmel Hospital.
Just last week he spoke to the mother of a young man who had just been discharged from Mount Carmel, where he could only shower with cold water, he said.