Copyright timesofmalta
Alex Borg called on the government to address Malta’s social issues in Monday's budget and beyond. “The budget is the financial package to help the Maltese and Gozitans from a financial perspective, but it should also have a social soul,” PN leader Borg said on Sunday. Poverty, suicide, drug addiction, prostitution and homelessness are issues that need to be addressed, “but there is no political will to do so,” he said. “Dozens of people cannot afford their afternoon meal and go to soup kitchens as a result, many sleep on the street or wake up not knowing if they will have a mattress to sleep on, tomorrow”. “This might not win us many votes, but tackling social issues is not about the votes. It is about our moral obligation not to leave these people behind.@ On mental health, Borg pledged to build a new hospital and to provide related services in Malta’s towns and villages. The PN leader said the party should not be afraid to discuss new ideas, such as the four-day work week, even if the proposal brought about backlash. “It’s been two weeks since we started speaking of the four-day work week, and Malta has not stopped talking about it”. He said the PN had won the general election whenever it was forward-looking. Borg added that the party had also proposed several other measures to promote a work-life balance, including introducing a year of parental leave and a special tax bracket for parents with two children. He lamented that society had become too career-driven: “You might focus on your career for just a few years and all is fine, but after some time, family and mental health problems develop. That's why we want to address the issue and ensure better work-life balance”. A Gozo MP, Borg also praised a measure that the government is set to announce on Monday, which will see Gozitan students who study in Malta get a monthly grant of €280. However, the government needs to address the issue of connectivity between Malta and Gozo and replace the Nikolaus with a new ship, he said. The PN leader also noted he wanted to meet with the prime minister and agree on a mass transport plan from Malta via a memorandum of understanding.
