The government has been absent in the consultation process on the private member's bill submitted by the Nationalist Party to include thprotection of the environment in the constitution, and only made its voice heard by spreading misinformation, PN MP Darren Carabott said Thursday.

"Since June 2023 we have met with several organisations, but the government did not participate in the consultation, except to make numerous misinformed statements," Carabott said ahead of today's parliamentary debate on whether the right to a clean and sustainable environment should be enshrined in Malta's Constitution.

Carabott, who submitted the bill, described the Opposition's proposal as "historic," insisting that recognising this right would give citizens the legal tools to hold present and future governments accountable. "Every Maltese and Gozitan will have the right to a clean and sustainable environment. This law binds not just today's government but all future administrations," he said.

He explained that the proposal was drafted following extensive consultations beginning in June 2023 with a number of NGOs, including Piroteknika Maltija. The draft broadens the definition of "environment" to cover not only land and water but also aesthetic and cultural heritage, which Carabott said deserve "the highest protections."

"How can one be against this, except to score political points?" he asked, noting that several countries already recognise such rights at constitutional level. "Just as we recognise the right to life, we should also recognise the right to a clean and sustainable environment."

Civil society organisations have also voiced support for the motion, describing it as a safeguard that would halt years of environmental damage while granting every resident of Malta a constitutional right to a clean and sustainable environment.

The PN's spokesperson for the environment, Rebekah Borg added that the proposal is not simply a political issue but a duty towards future generations. "As a mother, I feel the responsibility to ensure my children are raised in a clean and sustainable environment. The environment is not just trees and open spaces-it is also the quality of our daily lives, the air we breathe, and the traditions we pass on," she said.

Borg argued that the new right would empower citizens to keep governments accountable, stressing: "This is not about blue or red. It is about protecting everything that makes us Maltese and Gozitan."

She also pressed the government to back the bill, warning that rejecting it would damage its credibility. "The environment must be a priority. The government cannot vote against this," Borg said.