Abela says he was not involved in removal of Xarabank

Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Sunday that he was not involved in the removal of the renowned Xarabank TV programme.

Prime Minister Robert Abela was being interviewed by

CEO, Christian Peregin on ONE TV.

During the interview, reference was made to the famous TV programme Xarabank which was recently removed from the PBS schedule after 23 years.

Abela remarked that “the removal of such a programme was not related to any political interference.”

The cancellation of the popular television programme was announced by its host Peppi Azzopardi on Friday, who later told this newsroom that if the show’s cancellation was done in order to keep him quiet then it is a mistake.

The Public Broadcasting Services are yet to make an official statement in this regard, however the Prime Minister said that the decision was taken by PBS’s editorial board as they were deciding on the renewal of the services’ television channel schedules.

With regard to broadcasting, Abela highlighted that as a government they are working on a broadcasting policy reform in a holistic manner as during his leadership campaign, Abela had promised that once elected as a Prime Minister he would carry out a number of reforms related to national broadcasting.

“I believe in broadcasting pluralism and in political stations as they create a certain balance and neutrality in the messages that are being transmitted, but regardless, it is always very important to be factual in what is being conveyed,” he said.

Asked on whether he knows whether a better programme which offers debate on current affairs will replace Xarabank, Abela said that he cannot promise this would happen as he had no say in the matter and is not part of the discussions that take place.

COVID-19 Pandemic

Asked on whether he regrets expressing certain statements like ‘il-mewġ fil-baħar qiegħed’[waves are in the sea] during the COVID-19 pandemic, Abela said that the facts prove that the government handled the pandemic in Malta relatively well, both in the medical and also in the economic field.

Abela had made the aforementioned statement when, while COVID-19 cases had subsided and decreased, he was asked about a potential second wave of COVID-19 cases which could hit Malta.

Abela admitted that “although there were instances in which we could have done better, everyone has to keep in mind that this is a situation where it unprecedently hit not only our country but the whole world, and no one was given a manual to follow on what to do.”

In recent weeks, due to the rise of COVID-19 active cases, many countries are closing their doors to Malta. Malta currently has over 600 active cases of the virus, and some 15 countries have imposed some form of restriction or stipulation on travellers arriving from Malta.

Asked on whether certain mistakes led to this moment, Abela remarked that “many countries are closing their doors to other places not just Malta.”

He explained that when the airport was reopened in July, it was inevitable that the active cases would rise as new people from other countries were brought into Malta.

“Although the infection rate has increased, the people who have COVID-19 are only showing mild or no symptoms at all. In addition, the mortality rate is very low.”

With regard to the Labour media boasting that Malta is a country which has the lowest number of active cases, it was argued that this is obvious since Malta is a small country.

Abela countered and disagreed with the highlighted point. He explained that “a country like Luxembourg who are not very different in population, have a much higher death rate in comparison to Malta.”

Asked on whether the COVID19 wage supplement will be given after September and whether the government vouchers will be issued once again in order to further help the economy, Abela did not give a definite yes or no answer, but said that “as a government we aim to implement the balanced measures on our economy and health.”

“In recent months we have launched a number of measures in order to safeguard peoples’ jobs as much as possible. One must take into consideration all the circumstances and take the necessary steps in order to avoid losing what everyone worked so hard for,” he added.

“It is crucial to have a balance between health and economy during these times. With every decision that is taken, the government must keep in mind that you will not have a healthy economy if health is not protected.”

With regard to the legal notices that have been issued during the pandemic in Malta, Abela stressed that “these are collectively signed by three people including Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci, Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne and myself as a Prime Minister.”

Migration

With regard to the subject of migration, which is considered to be very sensitive, Abela expressed his belief that “this was not always treated as seriously as it deserves, therefore from last January up to now we have been working to address the issue as best as we can.”

“Despite the huge wave of immigrants, by the end of this year the number of arrivals in Malta will not be a large amount as we are only taking in boats which are in distress.”

When we are placed in a situation where we must choose between life and death, we will always choose to save lives,” he said.

Abela stressed that he disagrees that the country is lost and without a plan – as the mayor of Ħamrun, one of the localities which has received a number of migrants, had said earlier this week – in this regard as “firstly, we are working with Libya to reduce the arrivals in our country as much as possible, and secondly, we do not bring in immigrants who are not in distress.”

“Our priority is protecting Maltese and Gozitan citizens, and to ensure that they feel safe on our streets and in their homes.”

Abela warned that anyone who does not obey the law would have to face the consequences.

Finally, asked on whether there have been any moments since January in which Abela reconsidered taking his post as a Prime Minister, and leaving it in the hands of Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne, Abela strongly remarked that he is very proud that people trust him and is determined to continue working hard in order to improve our country, regardless of the problems that he has to face.

“It is crucial to have a balance between health and economy during these times. With every decision that is taken, the government must keep in mind that you will not have a healthy economy if health is not protected.”