Malta needs to rid itself of politicians who think of themselves and harm Malta's name, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said on Sunday morning.

Grech delivered a message to the public to commemorate Easter Sunday, where he reflected on how celebrations this year will be starkly different from usual.

"This is a feast that, throughout the week, will mark the celebration of many traditions, cultures and beliefs in our country. Normally today, the squares would be full of families, children, youth and grandparents", Grech said.

"This year, this will not be the case because we have chosen that, together, we will make sacrifices that will quell this pandemic".

Easter marks the awakening of Jesus Christ from the dead. Grech reflected on how Maltese citizens can celebrate an awakening of their own in the age of Covid-19.

"We will eventually awaken from the effects of the pandemic so that children can once again meet with their grandparents; mothers and father can once again go back to work normally; youths can once again go out and meet up together and can continue pursuing their dreams", he said.

He also said that awakening from the effects of the pandemic will see the return of students to school; the ability for Maltese to travel abroad and spend their holidays elsewhere; and the elderly to shed their fear and go outside once more.

The Maltese need to awaken from an age where they are scared each day of reading news that will alarm them and harm Malta's reputation, Grech said.

"I want politics to get rid of those few who think of themselves while also harming our name, our honour and the place of work of many Maltese", he said. "Our country needs to wake up so that, above everything else, we will have a new political vision, for a better Malta, so that we can open new economic sectors and  develop a form of politics where no one holds back, where we bring forward the good and give equal opportunities to everyone", he said.

Maltese politics needs to prioritize the individual and place human needs at its centre, he remarked.

Grech believes he can lead the way for this vision to manifest in Malta. He will achieve this by talking and meeting with as many people as possible to understand their needs and "ensure that their needs match the Nationalist Party's political agenda."

"I want us to be the positive change that will wake this country up from the political narrative that it has found itself in and give it a fresh start", Grech said. "I want to wake it up from partisan politics and from the wishes of the few, from favouritism, from preferences, from 'red or blue'".

"This is one country. We are one population, the same members of the Maltese and European family. Whenever we have joined together as one population, we have succeeded", he said.

"Our potential lies within us, with every one of us, with the key to the future in our hands," Grech said.

Grech said he wishes for a Malta that is free from nepotism and corruption.

"I want to take our land back from the hands of the few and put it in the hands of the workers, the hands of those who advance through sacrifices, the hands of those who invest in good, the hands of those who work hard and now want to relax and enjoy the fruit of their labour", he said.

He said he wishes for a Malta that makes its citizens proud and hopeful for the future.

"I want to see a proud country that holds its head up high: proud of its past, assured about the present and ambitious and enthusiastic about the future. I want a strong population that is not scared and worried", he said.

Grech said that youths in Malta are one of the most promising demographics on the island and that they have great futures ahead of them. "They will be supported, both in Malta and outside of Malta, in their studies and their pursuit of education; however youths who do not wish to pursue studies and start working immediately will be equally supported and given opportunities to develop their craft."

Lastly, he wished all Maltese citizens and their families a happy Easter.