The Nationalist Party on Wednesday lambasted the government for “manipulating the truth” to make it seem like the cost-of-living crisis is under control, members of the party said in a press conference. This press conference featured PN Shadow Ministers Ivan Castillo and Ivan Bartolo alongside MEP candidate Miriana Calleja Testaferrata de Noto.

“The cost-of-living crisis is the most worrisome issue to Maltese and Gozitans,” Castillo said, “It is leaving a disastrous effect on our quality of life, particularly on those most vulnerable in our society, such as low-income families and pensioners.”

PN’s Shadow Minister for the fight against the rise in the cost of living, Castillo, also said that as more time passes, “it is becoming more evident that the government is either refusing to address the issue or doesn’t know how to.”

Stating that wages today are equivalent to those from 2018, Castillo said that less money is going in people’s pockets. He therefore called this “an important time for our country” and called for these “real” issues to be addressed, rather than utilising marketing tactics.

In this regard, he criticised the government for spending a reported €132,000 to advertise its Stabbiltà initiative designed to combat inflation on common food products. He also undermined this scheme, saying only affected 0.01% of products purchased by people on the Maltese islands.

The Opposition MP said that inflation of food prices has marginally decreased due to external factors and not due to government measures. Namely, he attributed this to price wars among local shops. For fruits and vegetables, he said this effect was noted due to seasonal changes. Castillo also said that this is occurring while the government “is making the lives of farmers more and more difficult.”

Ivan Bartolo said it is “scandalous” that those that are meant to be helping society’s financially vulnerable and promised to eradicate poverty have not yet come up with a sustainable policy to do so.

He stated that despite pensioners having nearly ten measures dedicated to them in this subject, a third of all elderly are at risk of poverty and social exclusion. “Poverty requires a strategic plan,” he said.

Bartolo mentioned that over 100,000 people on the Maltese islands are struggling with these “difficult social issues” and warned that it is “dangerous” for politicians to portray Malta as being the best in Europe or even the world in these rankings. “This is not true, this is not reality,” Bartolo stated.

PN’s Shadow Minister for social accommodation and pensions also said that poverty must be tackled by investing strongly in the poor until they can fend for themselves.

Bartolo said that “it is unacceptable that in our society” that many people are suffering due to the cost-of-living crisis while people close to the government are not. He therefore criticised the government’s past “Malta Ġusta” and “Malta Tagħna Lkoll” slogans, calling them ironic.

PN’s MEP candidate Miriana Calleja Testaferrata de Noto said that this crisis is a “persistent problem” affecting everyone. Referencing a statistic that found that 43.2% of children aged between 11-15 years old worry about how much money their family has, she said that the increasing cost of living is affecting people of all ages.

“People are not keeping up, no matter how hard they work,” she said.

She reiterated Bartolo’s comments that everyone in society is feeling the effects of inflation apart from those close to the government.

The MEP candidate stated that there are some people on the Maltese islands whose monthly wages do not last sustain their livelihoods for the entire month and struggle to pay for their daily needs such as shelter and food. She also made reference to statistics showing that rates of people relying on soup kitchens are also increasing.

She then said that the increasing cost of living is affecting local youths, and that “work, wages and opportunities” are just a few reasons youths are mentioning as to why they are seeking futures in greener pastures abroad. She said that as a youth herself, she understands the impossibility in purchasing property and that one cannot grasp this idea unless they live through it themselves.

“Malta’s minimum wage is certainly not enough to guarantee a decent living,” she said, “They do not reflect the inflation experienced in our country.”

Calleja Testaferrata de Noto also referenced a recent finding that Maltese youths under the age of 30 are unhappiest among all their EU contemporaries. She said that issues such as the struggle to afford property is leading to mass frustration and hopelessness among local youths.

In this press conference, the Nationalist Party reiterated their proposals to combat inflation. They are proposing for COLA not to be taxed; for tax credits to be given to employers as compensation for this measure; to assist in shipping expenses; and to adopt a new economic vision altogether. For the final proposal, PN said that they have already put forward their new economic vision for the country to the MCESD.