Under Labour, you will remain trapped in traffic for the next five years, the Nationalist Party said Friday.
With the plan announced by the government yesterday, the only ones set to benefit are the consultants who, with the Labour Party in government, will continue to be paid millions for more studies.
So far, all we have seen are studies, and if Labour is re-elected – by its own admission yesterday – you are facing another five years stuck for hours in traffic while the Government continues studying matters so that perhaps work may begin in another four years’ time, and in another 15 years we may have a new system, the PN said.
“And you and I will pay for these studies, while debt continues to rise. Because, as Minister Clyde Caruana himself said this very week, despite boasting that a surplus will soon be achieved, the Government has not accounted for the cost of the metro project, and the figures he announced do not include the projected expenditure for this project,” the PN said.
This very week, Caruana admitted that the figures would need to be revised, while warning that heaven forbid a project of this scale were to go wrong, as it would have a serious impact on the Government’s finances.
By contrast, with the PN, you know where you stand, the party said. “Within the first 100 days of a new Nationalist Government led by Alex Borg, an implementation framework for a mass transport project would be launched, and within the first legislature the first line of this modern transport system, which our country so urgently needs, would be completed.”
It is clear that this Government will not deliver this important and necessary project for our country. We have a Prime Minister saying one thing, the Minister for Finance saying another, and the Minister for Transport announcing yet more studies, the PN concluded.
Minister Bionett replies
Transport Minister Chris Bonett has accused the Opposition of attempting to undermine its “Malta in Motion” integrated mass transport plan, arguing that the Nationalist Party is placing partisan interests ahead of the national good.
In reaction on Facebook to the Opposition’s statement, Bonett said its disappointment does not stem from disagreement with the project-something it acknowledged is the Opposition’s right-but from what it described as a lack of genuine willingness to work together on a long-needed mass transport system for the country.
He said that, prior to the official announcement, it held a meeting with Opposition representatives, including Toni Bezzina, Bernard Grech and Ivan Castillo, during which details of the plan were shared. It said this step was taken in good faith to encourage collaboration on what it described as an ambitious, long-term project.
However, the minister said that during the official presentation, the Opposition responded immediately with a video by Alex Borg outlining an alternative concept for mass rapid transport, which it claimed lacked clear detail. This was described as both disrespectful and an attempt to politicise the project.
Bonett added that, following the presentation, it reiterated its call for further discussions with the Opposition to explore how different proposals could be incorporated. Instead, it said, the Nationalist Party issued a critical statement, which it believes turned the project into a political issue.
He also accused the Opposition of inconsistency, noting that only months ago the same party had expressed interest in entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government on mass transport. According to the government, recent developments suggest that willingness was not genuine.
Concluding, Bonett said it remains convinced of the merits of the “Malta in Motion” plan and is determined to move forward despite anticipated challenges. He added that it has received encouraging feedback from various sectors and insisted it will not allow political opposition to derail what it considers a crucial project for the country’s future.
