Evarist Bartolo questions whether Abela can truly tackle long-standing issues
On Facebook the ex-minister wrote that the 2027 election campaign is now close, adding that “A Prime Minister makes difficult decisions in the first two years after winning an election”
12 June 2024, 11:23am
Matthew Farrugia
Matthew Farrugia
1 min read
Former Labour minister Evarist Bartolo seems to doubt Prime Minister Robert Abela’s ability to make good on his recent promise to tackle long-standing issues with “a dose of realism.”
Bartolo was reacting to Abela’s comments following Labour’s shocking reduction in popularity that was evident in the MEP elections a few days ago. On Facebook the ex-minister wrote that the 2027 election campaign is now close, adding that “A Prime Minister makes difficult decisions in the first two years after winning an election.”
He listed a number of issues which Abela said that he would tackle, such as the environmental degradation of the islands, overdevelopment, the number of foreign workers in Malta and what kind of economic model is best for the country.
Bartolo described them as, “problems which have been adding up for years,” as he noted the national unity needed to truly address these issues.
He criticised Abela for not acting on such issues at the beginning of the legislature, “when he was much stronger and could afford to lose votes,” as he further noted that Abela worsened the situation by not acting, and that would explain Labour’s result in the MEP election.
“How can he [Abela] make these decisions on the eve of the 2027 elections when he is much weaker and cannot bear to lose votes?”
He concluded by questioning, “Will the difficult change in course happen?”
Matthew Farrugia is a staff reporter at MaltaToday
