PN costings will be published 'when the time is right' - Bernard Grech

The Nationalist Party's manifesto costings will be published when the time is right without giving in to political pressure, Bernard Grech said on Friday.

During an evening political activity, Grech said that the PN's manifesto has been thoroughly researched, while adding that the Labour Party's manifesto promises discussions without tangible measures. 

“Our costings will come out when the time is right,” Grech said, saying that the party will dictate its own strategy on this.  

The Labour Party spent a large chunk of the election campaign questioning when the PN will come out with the costings of its manifesto. While the PL said that their manifesto costs €3.3 billion, Grech said that this is a price, not a costing.  

“When I go to a shop I see a price, but I don’t see the costings behind that price,” he commented.  

The activity was held in Rabat as an opportunity for constituents to meet the PN's candidates on the 11th district. Grech himself will be contesting the 11th district as well as the 5th. He explained that he’s been living in Mosta, on the 11th district, for years. “If you don’t know where I live, you can get your hands on One News’ drone footage.” 

He thanked Simon Busuttil and Adrian Delia for their work in the Nationalist Party, and thanked journalists for their investigative work. He thanked Daphne Caruana Galizia in particular, saying that she “gave her life for the truth to come out”. 

Grech recounted the health measures that the PN will adopt if elected into government. He said many patients need to buy products or ingredients that are more expensive, and so these people will be given added aid from government. The PN would also give financial support to parents of children that require specialised therapy for diagnoses like ADHD and autism.  

He accused Robert Abela for evading journalists’ questions on his property dealing over a Żejtun villa. Grech said that Abela abused his position as the Planning Authority’s chief lawyer, a position in which his law firm was earning €28,000 a month, to secure sanctioning on the villa.  

Abela had denied such accusations when confronted by journalists on Friday afternoon.  

Grech added that the villa seemed to have been bought at a bargain price. Abela purchased the 2,000sqm villa for €600,000, but Grech said experts priced the villa at three times higher than the final purchase. 

Grech hit out at Abela for sending out stimulus cheques two weeks before the election. He thanked those who donated the cheques to the Nationalist Party, but told those who need them to keep the cheques and cash them. “Remember that he sent them to you to buy your vote, but your vote is priceless.”