Votes are more important than life itself for the government, PN Leader Bernard Grech said on Sunday.

During a political interview, Grech said that it is clear "that for this government there is no limit".

The opposition leader was reacting to an article published in The Sunday Times of Malta, which reported that a Transport Malta racket to help candidates obtain a driving licence leads straight to minister Ian Borg and his trusted workers. WhatsApp chats obtained by Times of Malta show Borg, a minister's canvasser, and his ministry personnel regularly piled pressure on Transport Malta's director of licensing Clint Mansueto to "help" candidates at different stages of the licensing process, it read. A customer care official from the Prime Minister's office, as well as the Prime Minister's personal assistant and the Gozo Minister's chief of staff also passed on the names of candidates, The Times reports.

Grech said that what was published in the newspaper forms part of a string of scandals, which makes Grech wonder whether this government has a "conscience".

Referring to the benefits fraud racket, Grech said that first it was the "giving money to those who don't need it", "but now they are also playing with people's life" with reference to the driving license scandal.

Given that the published chats form part of an ongoing police investigation, Grech also questioned the lack of action from the Police Commisioner Angelo Gafa's side, given the police has been in the know for months.

Quoting from one of the chats, Grech said that a TM official replied to a former member of Borg's customer care team that a candidate had not done too badly, but lacked experience on powerful bikes, and that the response was "It's his problem now."

 Commenting on this Grech said that in reality it is not the sole problem of the "powerful motorcycles inexperienced driver, but it is our (the whole nation's) problem".

He said that despite the current labour government's promise for meritocracy, the opposite has happened, as these ongoing scandals reveal.

Grech said that not only has Prime minister Robert Abela failed to ensure correctness, security and honesty, but in the meantime has also failed the institutions of the country.

Referring to his party, Grech said that the PN is going to continue working towards being an "alternative government...one which is not complicit in producing criminals".

Morevoer he said that the PN will be concentrating on solving these issues "as this is a problem for everyone...responsibility needs to be taken... this is not going to stop here".

Grech was also asked about last Friday's meeting he had with MCESD members, in efforts to strengthen its lines of communication with social partners.

In a general comment, he said that the government needs to tackle the country's economic problem from its roots. He said that he remains hopeful that during the next budget, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana will "send Abela a clear sign of how he is going to change the economy".

Referring to one of the PN's proposals regarding the COLA, he said that apart from agreeing with the non-taxation proposal, if in government, the opposition would also incentivise businesses to help them cover the new incurred expense for their employees, adding that this measure would ensure that businesses do not increase product prices or other services rendered.

"We want to break this vicious cycle" said Grech.

Grech also mentioned the lack of wise financial expenditure by the labour government.

He said that the investment in the country needs to happen immediately, however "now there is no more money...with all these scandals".

Commenting on some government's financial decisions, the opposition leader questioned the many press conferences to inaugurate the "the same project", and the millions spent on road investment, which had to be re-done "when they already knew about old cables underneath".

Grech also spoke about the current Air Malta situation.

He said that despite the national airline's failure, authorities are now using the word "new".

Grech said that the PN is going to keep pressuring the government to be transparent and honest on "how it is going to oblige a new airline to provide the needed service for this country".