In the world of politics, words matter.  Yet MEP Peter Agius seems to blur the lines between fact and fiction. Much like the boy in Aesop’s classic fable The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Agius has once again sounded a false alarm, this time over Malta’s largest-ever investment in waste management.

”Wolf! Wolf!” the boy shouted. When the villagers arrived, there was no wolf, and the boy laughed.

“You must not tell lies!” said the villagers

And when the wolf did come, no one believed the boy, and the wolf ate all his sheep.

Aesop is regarded as one of the greatest fable writers and storytellers in history. Peter Agius, although relatively unknown by comparison, also comes up with fables from time to time. Like Aesop, he too created a story involving sheep, except his story was swiftly dismissed by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).

Peter Agius is gaining a reputation as someone who shoots from the hip. If we give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he isn’t deliberately lying, he still comes across as an unprepared politician who fails to verify his facts.

And now, he’s done it again. This time spreading fables (read: lies) about Malta’s largest investment in waste management infrastructure.

In a grossly irresponsible manner, he has been instrumental in spreading numerous false claims concerning public health—claims that have already been addressed in fact sheets issued by WasteServ. Let’s be generous and assume that he struggles to understand complex environmental studies. But no—he’s also fabricated stories about much simpler topics. For example, he claimed that the incinerator would burn 400 tonnes of waste per day, when in fact it will only process a maximum of 38 tonnes per day. Staying true to his reputation as one of the most imaginative fabulists in contemporary Europe, he later revised his claim to 400 bags per day.

If you’re interested in reading more about Peter’s claims, you can have a look at the following link: Click here

But back to reality. The general public has grown wise to such theatrics. In fact, thanks to the everyday efforts of the Maltese population, Malta’s landfilling rate has dropped from over 90% to 73% in the last three years.

And guess what? Malta won’t reach its waste targets through fables—but through concrete action and investment. The same kind of investment that was shamefully neglected for decades under successive Nationalist administrations.