The government is failing to help those in society who are most in need and is instead more interested in the rich, Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia told supporters on Sunday.
In a speech at the party’s Siġġiewi club, Dr Delia said that while the socialist government of Joseph Muscat should be “crying for the poor”, the Prime Minister was more interested in the interests of the rich.
“As rent prices shoot up to some €700 per month, some 70 to 80 per cent of disposable income…where will these people end up? And what is the Prime Minster saying? Not a single word,” Dr Delia told the supporters.
He pointed out that as the PN continued to undergo changes, it would also be focusing on a new type of politics, one that had the people at its heart.
This, he said, was evident in the people he had chosen to make up his shadow cabinet.
For the first time, Dr Delia went on, he had also appointed a spokesman for good governance, former leader Simon Busuttil, insisting that this remained one of the party's top priorities.
“Our fight against corruption will continue. We have never had anyone focusing on good governance because this was not needed. But from today onwards, this will be a priority and we will make sure to monitor what the government does very closely.
“We are back to a time when we need to show that we are not all corrupt in Malta. We need to tell people that not all businesses are corrupt,” the Opposition leader said, adding that the government was continuing to destroy the country’s reputation, which had taken years to forge.
The Opposition leader also spoke about the importance of local councils, insisting that it was crucial that society spoke up even about minor things that were wrong at locality level.
“If we only complain among ourselves in our own homes, nothing will change. Speak up about the injustices. We need to start looking at what is good and bad even at local level,” the PN leader said.
He also thanked former leadership rival Chris Said for his support and allegiance to the party.
“Our party’s values are not based on who our leader is but on our longstanding values and morals and therefore Chris Said is not my adversary but we are both soldiers with the same principles and values.
“We want to preserve the same values and together we will make a tremendous difference,” Dr Delia said to loud cheers from supporters.
On the deal between Vitals Global Healthcare and the government, Dr Delia reiterated criticism that the people were being cheated and pledged that a Nationalist government would spend every cent being spent on corruption on the people.