By Kurt Sansone

Copyright maltatoday

Alex Borg has challenged Labour ministers to accept the Nationalist Party’s initiative to enshrine environmental rights in the Constitution and withdraw the controversial planning bills.

Borg dropped the challenge when addressing his first mass meeting as Nationalist Party leader on Saturday night in Pjazza Tritoni outside Valletta. The meeting attended by a sizeable crowd unseen for some time, concluded the PN’s three-day festivities to mark Independence Day, celebrated on 21 September.

Borg delivered a rousing speech peppered with references to victory and change as PN MPs and candidates sat behind him. Those on stage included leadership rival Adrian Delia and former leader Bernard Grech, who both congratulated Borg at the end of his speech.

In a strategic move Borg used part of his speech to address the controversy that erupted earlier in the day over his comments on high rise buildings in Gozo. During an interview, Borg spoke of the need to have a national skyline policy and said he was open to having high rise buildings in parts of Gozo. Borg’s proposal was immediately shot down by Planning Minister Clint Camilleri and other ministers.

In his speech, Borg expressed incredulity at the ministers’ reactions and without recanting on his stand insisted that he will defend Gozo. Borg said the country started building towers without having a national skyline policy in place.

“The planning minister said I have a fervour to build towers in Gozo. I will defend Gozo and will not allow anyone to abuse it. But seeing that in just a day, ministers suddenly had a turn of heart on the environment, why don’t they accept our private member’s bill to make environment a constitutional right, and withdraw the planning bills so that we can sit together and ensure that change benefits people? Let us be together on the side of the people for better planning,” Borg urged his political rivals.

PN’s voice is its own

He insisted that his style of politics was to show the people that the PN was a better alternative to the present government.

“I have been meeting different people, NGOs and constituted bodies but the PN’s voice is its own and it will determine its own agenda,” Borg said in what could be interpreted as a message to civil society groups like Repubblika that have at times overshadowed the PN.

“We have a glorious past. We have nothing that shames us,” Borg told PN supporters but urged them not remain prisoners of nostalgia. “We cannot remain stuck in the past. We have to look ahead; to future generations; to give this country a better future.”

He provided little detail of what this ‘better future’ will look like but said that over the coming weeks and months the PN would put forward proposals for a mass transport system, digital systems to address traffic congestion, measures for housing affordability and better healthcare services with a focus on preventive healthcare and mental health wellbeing. He added that the PN will unveil incentives to assist sustainable industries and workplaces, address inflation and proposals that will prioritise Gozo.

‘I have no enemies’

Borg said the PN had to adopt the politics of persuasion to convince people, especially those who feel estranged from politics, it is the better alternative. He then harped on his message of national unity: “Not red and blue but white and red.”

“I, Alex Borg, leader of the PN declare that I do not have enemies. The enemies are those who do not love their country; those who do harm to our country,” he said to applause.

Borg mentioned the Fortina land scandal, adding it was symptomatic of a government that was willing to give a hefty discount to those who are close to it.

He closed off his speech by referring to the question he said he has been asked often over the past couple of weeks: ‘Are we going to win?’

“My answer is yes because I am sure people want change. The national alliance we will build will deliver victory. We will become the natural home for all Maltese and Gozitans. This is our moment, this is the moment for young people, for pensioners, for our country,” Borg said, closing off with his campaign slogan ‘dan hu l-mument’ (this is the moment).

The meeting ended with the national anthem as the crowd lifted two fingers in a sign of victory.

PN deputy leader Alex Perici Calascione and secretary general Charles Bonello also addressed the meeting before Borg.