Whilst Prime Minister Robert Abela was swift to act following the scandals of Justyne Caruana and Rosianne Cutajar, forcing their immediate resignation as well as taking similar steps in Amanda Muscat’s regard, Minister Clayton Bartolo and Clint Camilleri were defended by Abela, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said, questioning if this was because they were men.

Grech on Sunday stressed that the change must begin today and whilst Abela “showed-off” with Justyne Caruana, Rosianne Cutajar and even Amanda Muscat, forcing their resignation, he pointed out that the ministers did not receive the same treatment, questioning the possibility that it is because they are men.

He pledged that under the PN, jobs won’t go to “incompetent people, because that’s how mistakes are made. We truly believe in meritocracy.”

Grech said that Muscat had no qualifications for the consultancy which she was being paid for and that the PN isn’t angry just because of her exorbitant salary but also because there are people in government “who think that they can do what they want”.

He explained that for the common people there is a “level” which doesn’t seem to apply to the government’s officials, who seem to be able to get away with a “sorry”. He elaborated that should one receive a speeding ticket or not pay a bill on time “a sorry is not enough”, as it should be, however, for the Labour government “rules do not exist”.

Grech went on to point out that learned Maltese youth, who put much sacrifice into their studies, shouldn’t be “thrown away” just because Bartolo believes that certificates are not important. He stressed that further studies should keep their importance and, more so, be given more opportunities because they deserve it.

Grech went on to say, “[the ministers] remained locked in their ivory tower and will keep on being defended by the Prime Minister. He was baffled at Abela’s stubbornness and warned him “not to underestimate the anger of the people” going on to cite the case of the Jean Paul Sofia public inquiry. 

“You must do something and you can do something,” Grech said before urging people to attend Monday’s protest outside of parliament at 6pm to put pressure on Bartolo and Camilleri, who will be addressing the parliament at the time. He added: “It seems that the Prime Minister thinks that he can do what he wants. This is why we need to understand that we need to make change.”

Grech went on to speak of the PN’s vision of a better future and noted how last week’s Sigma conference, which drew thousands of people to Malta and “put us on the map”, showcased an issue the government has in every sector.

Despite the government saying that it had learnt from past conferences, traffic gridlocks were experienced all week due to a poor infrastructure, he said. Furthermore, as a potential consequence, it appears that a future Sigma conference is apparently set be held in Milan, he said before concluding that the government’s lack of foresight is resulting in lost opportunities for Malta.