Local councils will be given back esteem, funds and power they deserve - David Agius

Nationalist Party deputy leader for parliamentary affairs David Agius presented the party’s vision for Malta as one based on values and principles.

Speaking at the second sitting of the PN general council on Thursday, Agius said that Malta was “pleading for a longterm plan; a plan that brings to reality our vision for Malta 2030 and beyond.”

He said the PN still believed in local councils and would be empowering them with “the esteem, funds and power they deserve.”

“We will not use them simply as offices that take care of waste collection and customer care.”

Agius described the Labour Party’s solutions as piecemeal, with no long-term planning.

He paid tribute to previous Nationalist and Labour governments, highlighting the good they had done, but said that what what was wrong had to be criticised.

“As a party in opposition, it is our duty to scrutinise the government’s work, criticise it when necessary, and hold it to account. However, we also have the duty to propose serious alternatives,” Agius said.

Agius said the PN was working on plans relating to education, employment, the environment, transport and infrastructure, as well as energy and health, local councils, youths and sports.

He insisted that everybody was entitled to a decent job which allowed them to improve their standard of living and raise a family.

“We have to think about the worst-case scenario,” Agius said about the increasing number of buildings in Malta and its ever-growing population. He said a sustainable and viable contingency plan was required to safeguard Maltese workers and industries in the event of an economic downturn.

Teachers and school principals would be given the respect they deserved, he also said. “We have concrete proposals to overcome the current lack of teachers and to promote teaching as a career.”

Agius also referred to the general council’s proposal document outlining the PN’s vision for small-to-medium enterprises and low-income families which can no longer afford adequate housing.

The PN is proposing an economic programme based on the concept of clustering, through the appropriate legal framework, to increase research and innovation in order to attract professionals and companies that pay well and that offer students more opportunities.

The Opposition, Agius said, would be pressuring the government to stop police stations from closing for long hours or even days. The environment, transport and traffic congestion are all high on the PN’s agenda.

The water and energy bills saga was also mentioned, with Agius promising that the PN would return any money stolen by the Labour government.