There is an undisputed realization in this country that you cannot separate the quest for a better quality of life from that of a better environment and more green policies.

If the electorate will vote Labour in once again on 26 March, 2022, we are going to embark on the most ambitious green project in the history of our country.

We want to offer a better environment in the heart of towns and villages and to provide green spaces in every locality.  We want to be in a position where a person will not have to use a car to go and enjoy some quality time in green spaces with his or her loved ones, but he or she can take a walk in an open space close to where one lives.

In all, we have pledged a massive allocation of a total budget of €700 million for the next 7 years.  This means a considerable €100 million a year for revitalizing environmental projects.

The goal is to create a number of gardens and public spaces around our country by the end of this project.  The priority of this government is to provide a better quality of life to all the people residing in this beautiful country of ours.

That is why in the next legislature we will give to the people:

1. More public parks,

2. The largest urban greening projects our country has ever seen;

3. Pedestrian zones in each neighbourhood.

4. Tunnels for traffic where possible;

5. Green open spaces;

6. More underground car parks with the creation of gardens upon them

Projects that will be among the first that we will implement are the following:

- Schemes to buy private property in the heart of urban areas and turn them into open spaces;

- The St Paul’s parking area in Cospicua, aimed at building a dormitory at the American University will be turned into an open space, with parking spaces underground;

- The Karen Grech Garden project in San Ġwann will be extended to create a square and a

large green public space in the heart of the locality;

- The car park next to the bus terminal in Victoria Gozo will be transformed into a park

for families which includes a football pitch and underground parking;

- The land on which the dairy factory is located in Ħamrun will be converted into a green open space for families, with an underground car park and a garden of about 10 acres;

- Green space in the heart of Birkirkara where we roof the waterway along Triq il-Qasab;

- Roof the Santa Venera tunnels and include a car park and an open space of about seven acres;

- Triq Sant ’Anna l-Florjana is returned to the public, with all traffic passing underground;

These are joined by other projects including:

- The extension of the Inwadar in Marsaskala stretching over to the portion of land that was previously going to be part of the American University project;

- Ta’ Qali Park;

- The park in Bengħajsa

This together with new parks in:

1. Mqabba;

2. Bormla;

3. Vittoriosa;

4. Geological park in Għar Lapsi and Wied iż-Żurrieq and

5. The conversion of the bridge known as “tas-Shell” in Birżebbuġa.

Exciting times are ahead for a greener Malta.

++++

Now that we are nearing the end of week one out of five, I have a clear, straightforward message I would like to send to the electorate: the people leading the Nationalist Party have divided a whole Party, do not let them divide a whole country.

Whoever dismembers and destroys a party should not be given a chance to dismember and split a country from the middle.

Bernard Grech was put in office by people who were hell-bent on replacing his predecessor. 

Since the first day Bernard Grech was put in office, he has always been led by others and has not spent a single day really in charge.

This means that if Bernard Grech is given the chance to lead the country as Prime Minister, the internal struggle inside the PN will spill over and become the struggle of a whole country. If we let that happen, we would be jeopardizing the political stability that is so important and that we have managed to achieve in recent years.

We would have conflicts, struggles and people deserting the PN and the Government day in day out, instead of working together for the good of our country.

On the first day of the current election campaign Bernard Grech faced the departure of 4 key deputies: Claudio Grech, Mario Galea, Clyde Puli and Kristy Debono.  Imagine what would happen if four key Ministers, upon the Nationalist Party being elected to power in this hypothetical scenario, decided to leave Cabinet at one go.   That would become a problem of whole country.

What is more is the realization that a divided government cannot implement reforms. From the Opposition, the PN was divided on every reform it came across. In Government it would limp from a political crisis to the next at every corner each time civil society would request the actualization of a particular reform or more.

On March 26th we have to choose whether to go back in time to the realms of political instability or to move towards the future Robert Abela at the helm.

Malta Flimkien will take us forward, as a team.  A team that includes all the Maltese and Gozitan people.

I believe in Team Malta.

+++

I felt very saddened when I heard the news of the sudden passing away of musician Chris Scicluna.  He was not only a top guitarist, but also had a very pleasant personality and was loved by a lot of people.

He died at the age of 62 after a two-year-long battle with cancer.

Chris had presented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994 with his wife Moira Stafrace.

At the end of the mass, just before the coffin was carried out of the church, it was reported that Moira sang a powerful, heartfelt rendition of her and her belated husband’s Eurovision song “More Than Love” which was met by deafening applause coming from those present.

“We couldn’t stand to see him suffer anymore. You didn’t deserve it, Chris,” she said.  Indeed, he did not deserve it.

Rest in peace, Chris.