Prime Minister Robert Abela branded Opposition Leader Alex Borg as a populist for declaring he would resign if a potential PN government would not complete the underground mass transport system as promised, and he would not commit to doing the same if Labour's own promises are not implemented.

On Monday, Borg said that he would resign if, in five years after the election, his government would not have completed an underground transport system linking the airport to Pembroke.

Asked by The Malta Independent whether he was ready to resign if Labour did not fulfil its pre-electoral promises, Abela replied that in Monday's programme Borg attempted to be populist. "You don't give people peace of mind by telling them you will resign if you do not complete," PM Abela said.

Abela then went on to list projects and ideas that his government had implemented in the last five years, including the way his government sustained business during the Covid pandemic so much so that Malta's economy flourished in the subsequent years.

He said his government's track record speaks for itself, mentioning the low deficit and the debt-to-GDP ratio which fell to 46%. He referred to tax cuts that his government had given to the working population.

"It's a question of the competence of the team I have with me in the implementation (of the programme) and credibility... and you do not get credibility by making populist statements but you get it by the way you deliver what you promise."

You also get credibility by what you promise, Abela said, saying it should be "realistic, credible, honest and authentic." Once we give a promise, he said, we will carry it out.

When it was pointed out to him that the Labour Party had promised a metro before the 2022 election but this project had not materialised, Abela said that he is comforted by the studies carried out by experts, ARUP. The first stage of that project, related to sea transport and the way it is being integrated with other transport means, is already in motion and he was convinced that within the 15-year timeframe the government had established the whole project would be implemented.

"This timeline is realistic and compares well with other metro systems built elsewhere," he said.

The choice the people have to make is between credibility and competence, and populist statements, Abela said.