[WATCH] Bernard Grech accuses government of ignoring COVID-19 tragedy

Bernard Grech has accused government of ignoring what he described as the “tragedy” afflicting elderly people in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Opposition leader delivered an impassioned speech in parliament this evening to highlight the plea of elderly people confined in homes as he hacked away at what he claimed was government’s obsession with money.

He was participating in the debate on the financial estimates for the Office of the Prime Minister.

Grech disputed Prime Minister Robert Abela’s assertion that the coronavirus situation was under control, adding that government’s target to achieve balance between the economy and health was unsuccessful on both counts. Not enough importance is being given to health, he added, and the elderly were suffering the consequences.

“There are elderly people who have not been able to hug their relatives and their grandchildren since March because of COVID-19 and now, to safeguard their health are confined to their rooms. We cannot forget they are prisoners inside elderly homes. We cannot escape this reality and look away from this tragedy,” Grech said.

He singled out Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Parnis for nodding, telling him to take the necessary action to address the situation in elderly homes rather than looking the other way.

Grech’s outburst comes on the day that Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci confirmed a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in three elderly homes.

“The populism of your government only takes you as far as money allows… but when it comes to generating ideas to address the problems faced by the elderly you are clueless; you have no ideas,” he charged.

He insisted the problems being faced by the elderly cannot be solved through “vouchers and Facebook adverts”.

Grech said the Nationalist Party knows where it wants to go and has proposed a vision based on 12 pillars. “We know where we want to go. We put people at the centre of our politics, you put your moneybox,” he said.

He also called out the lack of dignity students faced in schools as a result of the pandemic and lack of government planning.

Grech said the situation in some schools where students were learning in halls and on staircases was also causing problems for contact tracing teams.

In a flowing speech that was completely different from his robotic address in the Budget replica, Grech outlined his party’s priorities, including an emphasis on the environment as an economic motor.

Addressing the issue of poverty, Grech proposed the creation of a poverty watch unit to constantly monitor the situation of vulnerable families and propose policy measures to tackle their situation.

Grech added he was proud to be Maltese but called out government MPs for embracing the sale of Maltese citizenship to the highest bidder and for putting money before anything else.