Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1543384
10 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 FEBRUARY 2026 NEWS < CONTINUES FROM PREVIOUS PAGE proper legal framework, what a 'na- tional park' actually means," he said. "For one person, a national park might mean kiosks everywhere or gravel paths, as happened at Ta' Qali. For someone else, it might mean trees throughout. For others, it might mean preserving natural garigue. There must be a clear legal framework to prevent abuse and to avoid the kind of PR-driv- en announcements we are seeing to- day." Party financing proposal in the works James Debono asked him whether big developers do indeed exert influence through donations to political parties. Borg said the party is working on a legal framework that would promote transparency and allow political parties to be independent from the sources of their donations. "We're working on a law that will be published in the future so that parties can be independent of income they receive through donations… it would make political parties more independ- ent." "So, you're not independent right now?" Karl asked. Borg grinned for a moment. He said everyone knows that both parties de- pend on donations from the public, whether those donations come from businesspeople or your average Joe. "I won't hide this. I don't think it's the healthiest way of doing politics and that's why we're working on this law on party financing to give more autonomy and independence to political parties." More youths in the party fold Journalist Juliana Zammit asked Borg about youth involvement in politics, and why so many people who turn up at political events tend to be older. "It's a reality that young people are in- creasingly apolitical," Borg said. "There are young people who don't vote be- cause they've lost faith in the political parties on both sides of the spectrum. The two parties tend to feel the same and that's why the Nationalist Party cannot afford to lose its values." He said he believes the PN can attract more young people, and he's made a point to include youths in his secretar- iat. He's also worked to bring people who were involved in SDM (a univer- sity student organisation close to the PN) back into the Nationalist Party. No commitment on second district choice It's a no-brainer that Borg will be con- testing the election on his home turf in Gozo district, but Karl wanted to know whether he's made up his mind on the second district he will compete on. "Honestly, I don't even know yet. I won't choose based on what I want but on what's in the party's interest, and that's something we'll find out closer to the election," he said. Four-day week proposals still on the table Shortly after being elected party lead- er, Borg said that he would want to trial a four-day work week in certain public sector departments with the possibility of it being rolled out across the private sector against incentives. I asked him to elaborate more on this proposal. He said there's no sin- gle formula for how a four-day work week could be implemented in Malta, and that this needs to be discussed at length before deciding on a way for- ward. When prompted further to explain how a PN government would intro- duce four-day weeks in the public service, he said he wouldn't adopt a blanket approach. "I think there are certain depart- ments that could work with a four- day work week, as long as productivity and efficiency increase and the work- force remains the same. It's a discus- sion we want to have but we need to make sure we don't create unfair com- petition with the private sector." Borg wants amendments to cannabis law Kurt asked Borg about cannabis le- galisation, and whether a PN govern- ment would amend the law as it stands now. Borg said he would not scrap the law but would amend and improve it. "There are certain measures that need to be addressed. For example, the fact that you can grow four plants – everyone understands how much cannabis that can produce. It can eas- ily amount to more than the person- al possession limit allowed under the law," he said. He also flagged enforcement issues. While it is illegal to smoke cannabis in public spaces, he said people still often smoke outside with no repercussions. He has no problem with allowing peo- ple to smoke in designated cannabis clubs so long as there's proper en- forcement of the law. Competent Our concluding question came from our managing director Saviour Balzan. He said that a change of government usually comes with changes to top public service positions, including CEOs, chairpersons, board members and people in positions of authority. What would Alex Borg do if elect- ed prime minister? "The Nationalist Party will not remove people simply because they are Labour supporters. If someone is competent, they can work with me," he said. "I am not the kind of person who believes that the sun rises whenever a new government is elected, and everyone must automati- cally be replaced. There will be a sense of continuity where it makes sense." Of course, there will be people from the PN fold who will expect appoint- ments. On this, Borg said one needs to strike a balance. "Where things are working well, you leave competent people in place. But where you believe there are more competent individu- als who can fulfil certain roles better, then you appoint those who can per- form the job more effectively." He reiterated that he will not be the kind of leader who removes everyone indiscriminately just because they are Labour. The poor guy barely touched his glass of water by the time the inter- view was over, but he accepted our offer for a second espresso. Having only been in the role for five months, Borg is still constructing the shape of his leadership but has a clearer policy programme in mind. As an election looms over, it will be up to the elector- ate to decide whether he feels prime ministerial and warrants the keys to Auberge de Castille. Borg pushes party finance reform, cannabis tweaks and four-day week PN leader Alex Borg (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday) Borg discussed a plethora of issues including the idea of a four-day work week and cannabis reform (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)