Alex Borg Says Government Will Not Stop Nationalist Party Shaping Policy For The People

A proposal by the Nationalist Party (PN) to enshrine the right to a healthy environment in Malta’s Constitution has sparked a fiery debate, with supporters hailing it as a historic milestone and opponents cautioning against unintended consequences for long-standing practices and activities.

The PN has introduced a Private Member’s Bill seeking to establish the right to a clean, sustainable environment as a fundamental constitutional right, placing it alongside protections for life and health. Proponents argue that the amendment would provide citizens with a stronger legal framework to hold governments accountable for environmental damage.

The Opposition insists the move is a timely response to Malta’s pressing environmental challenges, including air pollution, waste management issues, the shrinking of open spaces, and limited investment in renewable energy.

The parliamentary vote was intended to allow the Nationalist Party’s Bill to progress to the next stage of debate, where amendments and suggestions to strengthen the legislation could be tabled.

Speaking in Parliament, Nationalist Party Leader Alex Borg said that the environment is only being debated today because of the Opposition’s efforts, noting that the Government had left the issue dormant for more than two years. Borg warned that Malta and Gozo are facing an environmental crisis, citing some of the worst air quality in Europe, sewage discharges into the sea, a fragile waste management system, and a severe lack of green spaces.

“Rather than act to safeguard what remains, the Government chose to shut down debate on constitutional protections,” Borg said. He recalled how the Opposition had previously blocked what he described as the Government’s “obscene” planning reforms, pledging to continue exerting pressure to ensure that future reforms genuinely protect citizens’ rights.

Borg added that this Bill seeks to provide the environment with the highest legal protection, a safeguard already recognised in over 100 countries worldwide.

The Nationalist Party criticised the Government and its MPs for launching a campaign of fearmongering and personal attacks rather than cooperating to strengthen the Bill. The PN described it as a disgrace that the Government not only failed to prioritise the environment and citizens’ well-being but also attempted to silence the Opposition’s defence of public rights, wasted two years before initiating an environmental consultation, and blocked laws that could improve the quality of life for all Maltese and Gozitans.

PN spokesperson Mark Anthony Borg emphasised that the Government would not deter the Nationalist Party from continuing to shape policy in the interests of the people.

#MaltaDaily