Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom exposed the dangers of not listening to people's concerns, adding that while he was disappointed that the country has voted to leave the European Union, there are opportunities for Malta.

He said that he is disappointed at the EU's reaction to the British people's vote, and he is also disappointed at the fact that those who voted to leave the union are being called "ignorant".

At the end of the day, he said, a person's vote is their right and they have every right to express themselves as they see fit. "I am the first one to admit that I campaigned against Malta's membership in the European Union, but the people expressed themselves and that is why I lead a  government that works to improve Malta's stock as a country within the bloc."

Dr Muscat was speaking in an interview on One Radio which was recorded on Saturday. He said that his government was prepared for the eventuality of the UK leaving the EU. Contingency plans were made and this is where he believes opportunities for Malta were identified in terms of possibly being a potential gateway for the UK to do business with the European Union.

"But of course, there is uncertainty. There have been credit downgrades by leading agencies such as Moody's. This means that there is less confidence in the market and the UK is our biggest market for tourism. UK tourists will not travel as much as it will become more expensive for them," he said.

He continued: "The crucial point is that we are facing this situation with confidence and not with fear because we have a strong economy. This is why you need strong performance and strong leadership in economic terms."

"When push comes to shove, people want to know about their families' futures, their jobs and security. This is our core competence. We know how to make the economy grow by creating jobs and putting money into people's pockets.  Six quarters in a row, Malta's economic growth has been five per cent," he said.

He said that no one can tell people that their vote is stupid. "If we want to live in a democracy, we have to respect it. Democracy, with all its defects, is still the best form of government," he said.

Dr Muscat said the people in the north of England voted overwhelmingly to leave the European Union, while people in the South mostly voted to remain. "People in the North said they were sick of paying for the capriciousness of the European Union. They are sick of not being listened to and they are sick of not even being able to complain. They are sick of looking around and not recognising their neighbourhoods any more. Is that racism? No, those are people's concerns and when you do not listen to people, that is where extremism can rear its head. If you ignore people, you encourage hate," said the Prime Minister.

Turning to the situation in Malta, he said that he understood similar concerns of people who live in Marsa, or Birzebbuga. "People who are turning to the far right were, up to recently, normal constituents. When they are not listened to, they turn. European socialism is turning into socialism for the elite and that needs to stop. Europe needs to shed its arrogance and stop thinking that only it knows best. But at the same time, I do not agree that leaving the EU solves all problems and finding solutions on your own is harder," said Dr Muscat.

He said that while the UK is a powerful country, it will not have the clout that it used to. "But the EU has fundamental issues which it needs to address and it needs to learn from this experience," he said.

Turning to the health agreement that Malta has with the UK, Dr Muscat said that this is a bilateral deal and will remain in place. However, he said that for Maltese students studying in the UK, things will remain the same for the next two years, but if no deal is struck at an EU level, then costs for studies in the UK will eventually double.

He said that the government of Malta has held meetings with the British High Commission on the issue and has pledged to enter negotiations as soon as the UK adopts its position in the new reality that it faces.

"Our historic ties will become even more important now. We need each other more now," he said.

Local politics

Dr Muscat also spoke about Opposition leader Simon Busuttil's "hypocrisy" in speaking about persons of trust, saying that he does not "walk the talk". He said that when he was engaged as the head of MIC, he appointed a number of people to positions of trust as well as awarding contracts to a company which he was a director in.

He also spoke about MP Toni Bezzina, who he said was caught making employees give false statement. He said that the opposition leader was awaiting for Mr Bezzina's appeal to be heard, which he said was another case of double standards.

"Another one I cannot understand is the case of Victoria mayor Samuel Azzopardi who was suspended, then reinstated after being found guilty by the courts of driving under the influence of alcohol. I simply cannot understand that one," he said.

Turning to healthcare, he said that Dr Busuttil should speak to his former MP Albert Fenech about the Vitals project. He said that Prof. Fenech would be heading one of the hospitals in the project and said that he had gone on record saying that he (Fenech) was sick of hearing lies about the project, which will see new hospitals being built in Gozo, as well as the refurbishment of St Luke's Hospital. He also mentioned the new jobs which will be created as a result of Easyjet signing a deal with SR Tekniks to service its aircraft.