This is not the first time Robert Abela has failed to tell the truth

During an interview held as part of the Independence celebrations, PN Leader Alex Borg says Abela must be honest with the people; maintains that the allegations made by the former Chief Justice expose a Government that interferes with the institutions

This is not the first time Robert Abela has failed to tell the truth.

During an interview conducted by Newsbook Malta Editor Matthew Xuereb as part of the 2026 Independence celebrations, themed “A free country. A country without fear”, Leader of the Opposition and Partit Nazzjonalista Leader Alex Borg said he could not recall another occasion when the President of the Malta Chamber had publicly contradicted a Prime Minister.

Alex Borg was referring to the comments made by William Spiteri Bailey, who told the Prime Minister that he must tell the people the whole truth about the country’s economy and public finances. The PN Leader said Robert Abela has an obligation to be honest with the people.

He said this was not the first time Robert Abela had failed to tell the truth. He referred to what happened only a few days ago, when Abela claimed that he had spoken to the Caruana Galizia family, only to be contradicted minutes later by Matthew Caruana Galizia. He also recalled Abela’s claim that 90% of young people under the age of 35 owned their own home, which was subsequently shown by a fact-checker to be untrue.

During the interview, which was held on NET Television because of the bad weather, the Newsbook Malta Editor asked Alex Borg about comments made earlier by former Chief Justice Vincent De Gaetano. The PN Leader said the former Chief Justice’s allegations further confirm this Government’s interference in the course of justice. These allegations concern the same Government that created a culture of impunity—the same Government that a serving judge accused of caring more about money than the national interest.

Alex Borg said that this Government has long been under a dark cloud, which has grown even heavier following everything that emerged during the trial over recent weeks.

This is precisely why the PN exerted pressure for the recommendations of the Public Inquiry to be implemented without further delay, to ensure that what happened in our country is never repeated. It is concerning that people today do not trust the Government to genuinely implement these recommendations.

Alex Borg said the Government had an opportunity to take a step forward when the PN called for Parliament to be urgently reconvened and presented a Motion for the recommendations to be debated. When the Government refused, Partit Nazzjonalista did not stop there and prepared an Omnibus Bill—a package of laws brought together in a single Bill—to strengthen the institutions, guarantee their independence, rebuild public trust and protect journalists.

Asked what he would do if these measures were not accepted by the Government, Alex Borg said Partit Nazzjonalista would pursue other avenues to increase pressure on the Government until it does what is right and implements these recommendations.

On the fact that the country has still not seen justice in the case of Daphne Caruana Galizia, Alex Borg said this could have serious consequences for Malta’s reputation and that the Government must therefore use every available means to repair the damage caused.

The PN Leader said the Attorney General had failed in several cases, some of which became time-barred, while in others she had failed to act as she should have. Her position is therefore no longer tenable.

Regarding the case involving Alex Agius Saliba, the PN Leader said that, since an investigation is under way, one must wait for its findings. He said it was regrettable that, whenever a case involves members of the Labour Party, they try to smear Partit Nazzjonalista.

The PN Leader also addressed the issue of the continuously growing population, saying that the problem lies in the Government’s lack of planning. It increased the number of workers without planning accordingly, leaving the country with infrastructure that is buckling under the pressure: sewage flowing into the sea, an electricity system unable to cope, overcrowded hospitals and gridlocked roads. Alex Borg said that if the Government intends to continue increasing the population, as it recently stated, it must invest seriously in the country’s infrastructure.

He also spoke about the need for proper planning in tourism, including events that attract large numbers of foreign visitors to Malta, as well as the need for the country to further diversify its tourism offering by developing religious, gastronomic and other forms of tourism. The PN Leader said Malta genuinely needs to change direction, moving from quantity to quality. He also said that fines imposed on tourists who come to Malta and behave unacceptably should be considerably harsher so that they serve as a serious deterrent.

Asked about the PN’s financial position, Alex Borg said that the party’s accounts were presented to the Electoral Commission this week. For the first time in many years, the PN registered a surplus of €100,000, while an exercise is currently under way to make better use of the party’s assets. He also explained that the electoral campaign did not leave the PN with any debt.

Alex Borg said that, by the end of the year, the PN would have a Deputy Leader for Parliamentary Affairs and a Deputy Leader for Party Affairs. Meanwhile, consultation on the reform of the Statute is continuing so that this process can also be concluded as soon as possible. He said the party would have a new Statute, as well as a new version of the PN’s Basic Principles.

Asked what the PN had done following its electoral defeat, Alex Borg said that once the post-election report had been completed, work immediately began on the Statute, while the broader reform process is also continuing. This is in addition to the PN’s ongoing outreach among the public, the reform of its media and increased engagement between its MPs and the people.

Alex Borg said Partit Nazzjonalista is preparing for the Budget and is meeting with the social partners as part of this process. He highlighted the importance of moving away from using GDP as the sole measure of the economy and considering other models to ensure that we have a clear picture of how the country’s economy is truly performing.

Partit Nazzjonalista’s Independence activities will reach their climax tomorrow, Sunday, with a mass meeting at the Floriana Granaries, addressed by PN Leader Alex Borg.

19.09.2026