Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech said that Prime Minister Robert Abela is part of a mafia which is focused on serving the interests of a select few, rather than those of the people.

The PN leader also drew comparisons between Finance Minister Clyde Caruana saying that Malta’s economic model needs to shift in order to prioritise people’s quality of life, and the Minister then approving €500,000 to be spent on a ten-minute short film featuring Film Commissioner Johann Grech.

Grech was speaking during an interview on party media on Sunday, saying that the country’s debt has reached €10 billion, and that Caruana and Prime Minister Robert Abela are responsible for that debt.

Grech said that there were also recent revelations that €6 million of the people’s tax money, “which Robert Abela gave to Steward”, was spent on orchestrating a frame-up on former Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne. He commented that the people’s money is being used in an abusive manner, and also referred to the tens of millions that were spent on temporarily using generators for energy provision.

“Those listening; when your payslip arrives, and you see €500 taken in taxes, recognise that the Prime Minister is burning that money,” Grech said. He continued that the government has no problem in spending money exorbitantly, and said that if this money was used properly, there could have been serious investments in local artists, hospitals, and education.

Grech said that instead of this, the government chose to serve select people “so that they feel good about themselves,” and that “they just want to accommodate those who helped them in their electoral campaigns.”

He said that in the last two years, the government has not done anything to help the local artists and their industry, and he referred to this as another broken electoral promise.

Speaking in regard to the Finance Minister’s statements, Grech questioned what Caruana and Abela did when they heard of the aforementioned situations. “They are compromised and are not working in the best interests of the people,” he commented. “Abela is weak and cannot stop anyone. The government does not have any issue with needlessly spending money to accommodate friends of friends.”

He said that the entire government is responsible for Malta’s debt, and that a Nationalist Party government would do things differently.

“Firstly, when it comes to the film industry, we would have competent people at the helm … We would not allow any public officials to do what they want. Those who are chosen need to understand that they serve the people, not themselves. I would not allow anyone to go on ego trips.”

The Opposition Leader said that he would see to it that the people’s money is used responsibly, and that he would publish a summary so that people know how their money is being used.

“The government does not even know what hit it, it does not know what it intends to do… In the end, the people are suffering, and that’s what concerns me.”

Siggiewi Mayor Julian Borg, who was interviewing Grech, shifted the topic of conversation to that of the environment.

Grech said that a year ago, the PN presented a law in Parliament which would see the protection of the environment be recognised as a fundamental right under the Constitution of Malta. He continued that over the last eleven years, “we have seen that the government does not believe that the environment is a priority”. He added that the government has allowed the environment to deteriorate, and that this law which the PN presented has still not been raised to be voted on by the government. “The law is ready, all the government needs to do is raise it so that we can vote for it,” he said.

Grech continued by saying that half the fines handed out by the Environment and Resources Authority have been against the government itself.

“The government tells us that the environment is a priority, and then they go and break the law.”

Borg brought up a factchecking conducted by the Times of Malta, in which he said that it was shown that Abela lied about the PN opening a case against Fearne regarding Vitals. Grech responded by saying that the Prime Minister is prepared to lie to his own supporters.

The PN Leader said that his party believes that Fearne has responsibilities to bear, but that the case the party opened was to work towards returning the €400 million of the people’s money which was spent on the Vitals deal. He added that the Labour Party has continued to lei even after the facts have been confirmed.

“The Prime Minister is compromised, and he is part of a mafia… He does not want to see to the interests of the Maltese and Gozitan people,” Grech said. “Abela said that he understood the people’s message from the recent election, but clearly he is going to keep going in the same direction.”

He concluded by proposing that Parliament does not rise for a recess during the summer, “let us continue working for the people.”