Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said on Saturday that the government cannot take credit for the positive step forward Malta has made with regard to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), when it was the government itself who ruined Malta’s reputation and put the country on the list.

During a PN political activity organised in Nadur, Grech said that that while a country like Zimbabwe has been removed from the grey list, Malta remains the only EU country that is on the list.

Grech reiterated his promise that a new PN government would remove Malta from the list within three months.

“From what the government has said, it seems that it is possible that Malta will be taken off from the list in June. This goes to show that the PN was not mistaken to say that it would be possible to remove Malta within three months, despite criticism which said that this would be impossible,” Grech said.

Turning to speak about Gozo, Grech said that “although a lot of work has been carried out, we still believe that Gozo has a lot of potential to become a centre of sustainability, industrial sophistication and natural beauty.”

Grech reiterated one of the PN’s proposals to build a new MCAST in Gozo where in addition to increasing the number of courses offered, new courses would also be introduced. These would give students the opportunity to go into one of the 10 new sectors in which the PN government would invest in if elected.

He said that if elected, the PN would also build a branch of Malta Enterprise with a support unit for the promotion of local and foreign direct investment in Gozo.

Grech also said that the PN would aim to enlarge the port in Mġarr and invest in two new ships after all the necessary studies will be carried out in economic, environmental and social terms. The PN would also include an air service between the two islands.

Speaking about the health sector in Gozo, Grech noted that a Nationalist government would seek to put an immediate stop to the Vitals deal and, instead, build a new hospital which caters for 400 patients.

Grech was asked about the hundreds of workers who are employed by contractors but at the same time they also work for the government. Grech pledged that these workers would not only have the possibility of keeping their government job but the PN would ensure that these workers work directly with the government so that the money that is given to the contractor is added to the workers’ pay instead.

A number of families at Nadur who own property faced a problem as large areas were included as a registration area overnight and as a result this could lead to a number of families losing their property.

“A new Nationalist government would offer a solution in its first week where we will ensure that every family has the peace of mind that their land and buildings will remain theirs,” Grech said.