PN conducting socio-economic study in Gozo – Grech
The Nationalist Party is conducting a socio-economic study in Gozo, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said on Sunday.
In a political address in Nadur, Grech said that he wants to see progress in Malta's sister island.
"I want a new page, even for Gozo," the Opposition leader stated.
Many factors will be taken into consideration in the study, he said.
"I wanted a socio-economic study to take place and a lot of work is going into it. It will focus on various factors, such as what the impacts on the demographic are, what is happening in the job market, the working conditions, and so forth. We are seeing how we can improve the situation in Gozo," he revealed.
The study also takes into account Gozo's health service and how it compares to Malta, he said.
Grech, during his speech, took aim at Gozo's infrastructure, something which he believes government has undermined. He remarked that more care should be taken to safeguard Gozo's environment.
"We need to develop, but sustainably. We need to strike a balance so that a higher quality of life can be achieved. We also need to keep in mind the conservation of our environment," he said.
A Nationalist government would introduce the fast ferry service, something which has been on the table for a long time, the Opposition leader added.
Grech highlighted the establishment of a Parliamentary Committee for Gozo, something which was the PN's idea, he noted. He added that government also undermined this.
"One year ago, a discussion was led by PN MPs Chris Said, Kevin Cutajar and the late Frederick Azzopardi. We wanted to create a Parliamentary Committee for Gozo; we insisted, and the government finally decided to introduce it," he said.
"This parliamentary committee came up with suggestions that bring cohesion between the Opposition and the government. Government then wrecked chaos in the committee; it left the committee without a chairman to lead it. We want to revive it for the benefit of this island. If government doesn't move forward on this, a Nationalist government will."
He then referred to a recent interview on PBS, where he was asked uncomfortable questions, and accused of not being impartial. He described PBS as a "partisan station".
He said that PBS is "clearly overtaken by the government".
"We don't need to close party-led political stations, we need to ensure that the national broadcasting authority is non-partisan. Everyone is opening their eyes and noticing that PBS is not free from partisanship."
Grech moved on to address the Party's reshuffle, something which he said government tried to destabilize.
"Government tried to cause chaos in the Nationalist Party during our reshuffle. It did this as it sees that the Nationalist Party is growing," he said.
"The PL tried to cause chaos, but they didn't manage because we know what we are doing."
He also noted that the Party is undergoing a renewal process, bringing younger faces into the fold.
"We promised you that we will include more young people and we delivered. The social media platforms are full of this new movement," he said.
"The renewal can never end. We need to move forward for a better Malta."