Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said Friday that the PN wants to create ten new economic sectors so that Malta will no longer remain dependent on a citizenship scheme that can be “exploited by criminals and corrupt persons.”

He was speaking to journalists after a business breakfast in Rabat.

The government recently announced that it has suspended the sale of citizenship to Russians and Belarussians in view of the crisis in Ukraine.

The Malta Independent noted that the PN’s electoral manifesto pledges to improve the citizenship scheme, rather than scrap it.

“First of all, we have to make a distinction between sale of citizenship purely as a commodity, and a scheme where individuals invest in the country and have a genuine link and become proud Maltese citizens.”

He said, however, that if there are more developments in this regard, leading to increased pressure on Malta to scrap its scheme, “we will acknowledge that pressure and adapt.”

“We will not be dependent on this scheme, like the government is. This is why we are proposing to create 10 new economic sectors. The government has not even published its electoral manifesto yet and Robert Abela hasn’t told us if he will be creating a single new economic sector.”

Grech said the PN wants Malta to have a more resilient economy that “does not depend solely on corrupt and criminal persons who buy Maltese citizenship while remaining hidden, who exploit us and who we would be selling our souls to.”

Asked about the PN’s plans to enlarge the Mgarr harbour in Gozo and how much ODZ land would be taken up, Grech said the needs of Gozo are a priority. “What we will not be doing is to give tracts of ODZ land to groups like Sadeen.”

He said the port will be enlarged to cater for present and future demand and there will be two new ships, including one for cargo.

    

Speaking at the business breakfast, he posed a few questions. "When looking at our country, what is the country's ethos?"

"Has everything just become about making money?"

He spoke of the need for mutual respect, and said that no person is an island, highlighting that everything has become about the individual person..

He said that the choice in the election is not just about the electoral programmes.

He spoke of the pandemic and the restrictions, which he said were needed at times. "But then because we found the election vaccine, everything is allowed. That is when you realise that not every decision was taken in the people's interest."

The PN Leader turned to the PN's proposal to create ten new economic sectors, which will result in better wages. "None of these sectors will cause harm to the environment," he said.

He spoke about sectors Malta already has, specifically the maritime sector. He said it has enormous potential and that Malta has only scratched the surface so far.

Grech also said that he would give back White Rocks to the people and that it would be used as an area for recreation. He was giving an example of the 50,000 sqm land the PN pledged to give back to the public each year.

He said that if that land would ever need to be used for other public purposes, it would then require a 2/3rds majority vote in Parliament.