Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1544871
LABOUR'S criticism of the Nation- alist Party's energy pledges shows it is still stuck in 2013, spokesperson and candidate Mark Anthony Sam- mut believes. The Nationalist MP insists criti- cism on the PN's solar panel pledge does not take into context the ad- vancement in solar panel technolo- gy, and is adamant if implemented will give Malta more reliable and stable energy production. Sammut sits down with me two weeks into a general election cam- paign where energy has featured as one of the main topics of debate. The PN has pledged to cut electric- ity bills by an average of 30% and to make up for it, will invest €60 mil- lion to erect solar panels on public buildings and spaces. The proposal was criticised by former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who cast doubt on the availability of public roof space to cater for such a massive project. But Sammut is unfazed by the criticism. He says the space need- ed for solar panel installation is around 1sq.km and not double the space quoted by Muscat. "Unfortunately, Labour is still stuck in 2013 in how it views the sector," Sammut insists, adding that solar panels have grown in ef- ficiency since then. On Labour's criticism that the PN will remove subsidies, Sammut is adamant: "The subsidies will re- main." But he adds that his party's pledge for the sector will give Malta greater energy independence. "What we are saying is that through the project we have prom- ised, by the end of it, we will need less subsidies without increasing pressures on people. If oil and gas prices rise again, at least 5% more renewables than we have now will be available for energy regenera- tion," he says. With corruption practically un- mentioned by the PN during the election campaign, I ask Sammut, who was on the frontline of an- ti-corruption protests over the past decade, whether the issue has been side-lined for polling reasons. He says people do not need reminding of how corrupt Labour is, and only by providing a vision can the party be viewed as an alternative govern- ment. "Even Labourites, when you speak to them concede this. Former min- ister Joe Debono Grech admitted this himself, and so I do not need to convince people out there how corrupt Labour is," he says. Mark Anthony Sammut: 'Labour criticism of our renewables pledge shows it is stuck in 2013' Nationalist energy spokesperson Mark Anthony Sammut speaks to Karl Azzopardi on Labour's 'management by crisis', the PN's pledge to shift towards renewables and why corruption has been side-lined during the party's election campaign 6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 MAY 2026 INTERVIEW