There were divergences within the Nationalist party, but after the storm, the sun comes out, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said while speaking about the party's internal political situation.

Speaking in an interview with Strategic Communications Consultant Lou Bondi, during a conference on the State of the Nation Survey, Grech was asked various questions about the political situation in the country, as well as the results of the survey.

Asked about internal conflicts within the PN, Grech said that there were divergences, but it has moved forward. He said he looks forward to working with previous leaders in his role as leader of the party, aspiring to be a genuine and honest party.

Grech was asked to react to the three consecutive, and major, wins by the Labour Party since 2013.

"It is always the people who have been on the right side of history. Our focus must be on what we do as a party, and on how we can address issues affecting the people, to give them a better life. The country and the individual are the most important," Grech said.

To be able to provide a better quality of life for the people, the PN must be in government, he said.

Pressed on the PN failing to have obtained the absolute majority in over 30 years, Grech reiterated that the focus is always the public, and it decides who to elect as its leader. He said that in the future, the public should choose the PN as it believes it can change the country for the better.

"Not because the PL is negative. The public already knows that," he said, adding that the number of Labour followers is decreasing. "Many find themselves in the middle, as we are not convincing them enough. We want to continue working towards convincing the people," Grech said.

He said that evidently, there is a problem of leadership in the country, with large crises ranging from higher cost of living, the environment, rising property prices and serious problems in the health sector, as well as traffic.

Grech also said that another survey showed that there are over 100,000 foreign persons living in Malta, and questioned why the State of the Nation Survey did not include foreigners.

He said that we have an economy based on quantity.

"Foreigners are all humans, but what is worrying is that they are becoming a commodity. Is this the way we should look at a human being? As a country, it is clear that there is no solution in adding more people," he said.

Asked about abortion, Grech said that while his view is that abortion is the killing of a baby, there needs to be discussions to see the realities of the country, why there is the want for access for abortion.

Three out of four feel that they belong to the middle class. Asked about this, Grech said that an NSO survey showed that 122,000 persons cannot make ends meet, and that this needs to be addressed.

He is worried about the percentage - which has remained similar throughout the three surveys - that 30% of persons go to a politician when they need something, saying that political intervention means that things are not working normally.

Grech said that a level playing field means that one individual should not benefit because he knows a politician.

He deemed the Labour party as hypocritical as it is no longer a socialist party, saying that meanwhile, the PN will continue being close to the people.

The survey also showed that the divide between the main political parties is increased, which prompted Grech to say that the Maltese population must remain critical of their preferred parties so that the country moves forward.

90% of respondents had consistently said over the years that Malta is affected by events occurring in another country. Grech said that with international challenges, many people have had to modify their way of life and sacrificed quality of life.