We are suffocating ourselves without a second thought – Adrian Delia

A rapid increase in population, uncontrolled development, and limited space are leading to us suffocating ourselves without giving it a second thought, Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia has said.

Answering questions during an interview on the party’s radio station, the Opposition leader maintained that the size of the country, its population, limited space, and unplanned development show that the current government is not planning anything when it comes to the environment.

Delia also accused the government of being on a mission to remove as many trees as possible.

“There is a ray of sunshine,” he said, “that environmental awareness is growing, and now the Maltese people are the most worried about climate change” – referring to a recent survey published by Eurostat.

He insisted that the environment should be at the centre of economic development.

Accusing Prime Minister Joseph Muscat of not having a long-term plan, he pointed out that the plan was for Malta to become cosmopolitan – not only one city that people can leave, but the whole country at once.

“Studies show that the population at 500,000 but in reality it’s 700,000 – and Joseph Muscat wants it to go to one million.”

Wages trailing cost of living

The Nationalist Party leader noted that according reports he had seen over the past three years, in spite of wages increasing slightly, 67 per cent of Maltese workers had less money in their pockets – basically, if wages went up by €10, cost of living went up by €11.

He criticised the government for boasting about a surplus, when it was simply population growth driving GDP increases. Locals, however, receive lower wages than their European counterparts.

“This is an economic decision by the government to grow the economy by growing the population rather than raising existing wages.”

He pointed toward the fact that rental prices have doubled over the past five years, as well as increases in the price of other essential items, while wages have seen the lowest increase in Europe except when compared to Portugal.

Like water off a duck’s back - Delia

Speaking on the recently publish Moneyval report, Delia explained that if one had to start breaking down the report, one would see the real damage that has been done over the past few years to the financial sector, on which thousands of employees depend.

He noted that the preliminary report showed a lot wrong with Malta, but rather than fix these issues immediately, the finance minister said that every country has problems with money laundering.

“This report isn’t just an index,” Delia insisted, going on to point out that there were consequences. Malta could be blacklisted and no serious business or investor would consider Malta if it has failed or received bad marks in all categories.

“Even the police are not properly equipped when it comes to crimes related to money laundering.”

The Nationalist Party created this sector and initial legislation, and it was a centre for excellence, but now that reputation is gone, Delia complained, insisting that outside of the country, Malta must show that it is capable of safeguarding its reputation and the jobs of professionals.

Delia said that previous reports even criticised the fact that Malta’s institutions, such as the MFSA, had been taken over by the government, partly whereby the prime minister hand picks candidates regardless of merit.

“These things do not happen in Western countries,” he said.