Miriam Dalli must shoulder political responsibility over power outages, Grech says

Opposition leader Bernard Grech said Energy Minister Miriam Dalli should “shoulder political responsibility” for this week’s power cuts.

“We have a government that took us back 25 years,” he said, highlighting what he felt was a regression in infrastructure investment.

Speaking on the party’s television station NET TV in a phone-in interview, Grech said the “crisis” could have been forecasted, given the country’s influx in population, blaming the power cuts on Prime Minsiter Robert Abela and Miriam Dalli.

“Just a few weeks ago Dalli told us not to worry about power cuts this summer,” Grech said, slamming Abela and the minister, saying both of them were absent during the power outages.

He said the outages showed a lack of investment in the energy infrastructure, quoting reports which revealed a decline in necessary spending. “Enemalta spent less on its network in 2023 than it did in 2014,” he stated.

Grech also said the power cuts have become the norm, and are impacting Malta as a tourist destination as businesses were suffering.

He also tied power outages to ongoing reports about sewage seeping into bays, accusing government of doing so intentionally.

“Several beaches in our country had to be closed down this year,” Grech said.

The Opposition leader also spoke about the opening of a new ward at Mater Dei Hospital, criticising government of papering over cracks.

“The ward had been opened during the pandemic,” he said, making reference to a statement published by the Medical Association of Malta.

Grech said the healthcare system is failing, with government not finding solutions to deeper issues within the sector.

“Patients are sleeping on beds in the corridors and in the canteen,” he said.

The Nationalist leader said the country needs a government which prioritises long-term planning and investment in solutions. “You deserve a government that is honest and invests in solutions before the problem happens,” Grech said.