ADPD- The Green Party is calling for the resignation of Energy Minister Miriam Dalli, the resignation of the board of Enemalta and seeks an independent inquiry into who is responsible for “this predictable situation of higher demand for electricity in the summer”.

During a protest in Valletta on Thursday, held as the country reels from the effects of regular power cuts in the past two weeks, ADPD Chairperson Sandra Gauci also announced that the party will request Auditor general Charles Deguara in a formal letter to investigate the €90 million government investment launched in 2022 to reinforce the electricity distribution system, to “be sure that they are being spent there.”

Last year Energy minister Miriam Dalli unveiled the government’s action plan, in which the government pledged to invest €90 million over 6 years  to strengthen its electrical distribution network. This strategy aimed to give households and businesses a more reliable source of electricity.

“The power outage is a symptom of a sick system,” said Gauci in her speech.

She said that the country’s economic plan is based on cheap labour “on how well we are able to pack and exploit people on this piece of island without paying them a decent wage”.

“We have created a sick and unsustainable economic model based on the importation of modern slaves,” she said.

Malta has been afflicted by overnight power cuts for nearly two weeks.  Some localities have been hit more than others, with some places going three whole nights without power or having to battle through almost 24 hours without having electricity.

She said that the ADPD has made concrete proposals in favour of a sustainable and socially just energy policy.

On his part, general secretary ADPD Ralph Cassar questioned the government’s intention in owning a 830MW allowance in the energy distribution system if “the tracks through which the energy flows neglect it.”

Here Cassar said that the distribution system is already faulty as it is “let alone if we had more electric cars”. He said that the Labour government has no future plans for the energy sector.

Cassar is also urging Dalli to take a different stand by “clearly (saying) that what is happening is the fault of the government of which she is a part, and apologizes.”

Zeroing on Enemalta’s administration, he said that this “is a planned negligence”.

To conclude he said that the nation doesn’t want an economy build on the intensive use of resources, but rather a wellbeing economy.