PN leadership candidates have their final say before today’s vote

1 If you don’t win as leader of the party, where do see yourself helping the party?

2 If you become leader, what are the three things that you will do to unite the party and prevent it from continuing to split?

3 The Nationalist Party has always had a mission threat against democracy in the 80s; in the 90s freedom of expression and free market; in the 2000s it was pro EU. What is the party’s next cause and mission going to be?

4 Concretely give me examples of how you are going to compete with labour?

5 If you are elected, what will be the first three things you will do in your first 100 days?

Chris Said

1 I will do my utmost to show that the right way forward for the Nationalist Party is integrity, hard work and unity coupled with experience. Whatever the result, I shall continue to give my unconditional loyalty to the party – as I have done for the past 33 years. Never, not even for a minute, did I ever place myself, or my personal ambitions beyond the greater good of the party.

2 The party will risk a split only if who is at its helm behaves as though he is bigger than the party. That is not my style. My style is unity. One party, different shades. I shall, from day one, reach out to the other candidates and their supporters. I want a united party. My experience in politics and the party helps me to unite the party and heal wounds quickly.

3 Integrity, first of all. If we lose our reputation, it will cause untold harm to the party. Secondly, a party which is closer to the people – close to their needs and aspirations. Thirdly, a formidable opposition party that is not in bed with Labour.

4 Those Nationalists who think that we can beat Labour by becoming Labour Party Version 2 are wrong. That would be catastrophic for the Nationalist Party. Integrity, the ability to do the right thing, standing up to be counted for what is right.

5 1. Reintroduce the street leaders system;

2. Work from a different locality once a week, every month, and;

3. Launch a sociological study of societal changes – the party needs to become, once again an agent for change.

Adrian Delia

1 Since I have now embarked on this political journey, I will be at the full disposition of the party howsoever it would call upon me. Having said that, I would still be fully committed to transforming the party into once again becoming the true voice of its people.

2 I would like to premise that I do not agree with the statement that the party is being split. During a leadership campaign, it is normal to have factions and lobbyist actively and vigorously working to put forward their preferred candidate. Extensive media coverage and especially social media, today of course magnify this adversarial moment; however, I am convinced that once the race is over, we will all rise above it all for the best interest of the party we all love. Having said that, 1. Upon the result being declared I would immediately publicly declare that I am fully committed to embracing all those who have chosen the other candidates. 2. I would discuss with the other candidates themselves the manner and mode in which they can contribute in order to strengthen this unifying process and put together our ideas. 3. I would invite the nationalists themselves or whoever feels that he can contribute to the party to put forward their ideas, their thoughts and their dreams for the party through whichever medium they can so that we can together continue to strengthen our party.

3 Social justice and a level playing field for business and self-employed.

4 Fight corruption and create new industries.

5 I have five years to ponder. that.

Frank Portelli

1 The councillors have a decision to make. I am offering to go back to our roots. If the councillors decide that this is not the path they want to follow, then they are saying they don’t want me to lead the party.

2 The party has many problems and after this debate and race for the leadership, it is splintered and fragmented. So I would need to meet everyone and reconcile. I would remove all the ‘klikek’ that exist and remind them that this is one party and that it is unacceptable that someone associated with the party can go out there and speak against a candidate she does not approve. All the people who we have hurt, we need to bring back, and that’s a mammoth task. I am not in denial about what we have done, unlike some other people. I see the role of a leader who inspires, and unites and who doesn’t persist in making the same mistakes.

3 That Europe will not tell us what to do. We will tell Europe what needs to be done because we are the frontier of Europe and it can’t abandon us like it did with Italy on the question of immigration. We will tell Brussels, we will say subsidiarity, the decisions are taken by people who are affected the most. So we, Malta, are Europe’s southern frontier, so we should tell Europe what is needed. We will tell them if you want to take part in our programmes, you have to make sure that you understand what our needs are, which includes not sending us contaminated eggs and dumping them on the market. They weren’t even able to control that. We need to tell them that we have big issues, one being uncontrollable immigration; human trafficking, which is a crime, and Europe needs to wake up and understand we are vulnerable. The Germans bombed our opera house and never gave us compensation for it. It shows an attitude: Germany will bomb tiny Malta but destroys a moment like that and it’s like nothing happened. I believe in a different EU, I don’t believe in an EU which is unelected, like the Commission. The EU should be about people. They lost Britain because the Commission was detached. They’re all in air conditioned cars, smoking cigars, and drinking brandy.

Yes, for now the economy here is doing well but there are people who have nothing; we also have food banks here. I cannot accept that someone can buy a car for €270,000 and a young couple can’t afford an apartment. Rent is higher than the minimum wage.

4 If I say something, I mean it. There will be zero tolerance towards corruption. I won’t have a minster or chief of staff who is corrupt. If someone shows me evidence that there’s corruption, he would have to leave immediately. The people want honesty, not corruption. Why is there tax evasion now? Because the Cabinet is corrupt. We have 60,000 people who are living in poverty yet we boast about the fact that we’ve had a surplus. There’s a big difference between me and Joseph Muscat; I won’t boast about a surplus if it isn’t really a surplus. Of course you get a surplus if you don’t spend anything on the people.

5 The first thing I would do is ensure that there is no poverty in Malta. I would take the whole surplus and use it to eradicate poverty. Where we have land owned by the government, I won’t give them to millionaires like the White Rocks. We could house so many families if we used land to transform it into flats and there are so many abandoned buildings. Those are the issues.

Alex Perici Calascione

1 I have always placed myself at the disposition of the party whenever and in whichever role I was asked to help. I have never before placed either personal interest and ambition or strategy above whatever the party required and will not do so in future.

2 I intend to draw on the respect that has been earned from the past and enhance it through a clear but clean campaign. I would Immediately set off on a policy of inclusion with my three colleagues and their collaborators taking all those firm and strong decisions required to balance authority and unity right from the very start.

3 The challenge starts with an in-depth process of assessing and understanding the vast changes that have taken place in Maltese and Gozitan society since the 1980s. What are people’s aspirations? What are their needs, as they (not we) perceive them to be? What are their priorities – from the most important to the least essential? What is it that ultimately influences their thoughts and decisions – from the major life-long ones to the everyday options? These considerations are at the very basis of the formation of relevant, actual and effective political action today. The Nationalist Party must tackle the unbridled individualism which is at the very core of the current Labour administration’s action plan and which will cause longterm harm to the very fabric of our society. It must also maintain its stand on clear, transparent, accountable and good governance.

4 I am a strong believer in organisation, empowerment and vision. What I believe must be the starting point of my leadership should be the setting up of a clear strategy with clear goals. With this in place, we as a party need to start reaching out and putting people into places to be able to bridge and set up a network which would have the ability to give the proximity the party needs to be closest to the people. This is the only way the Nationalist Party can understand the aspirations and challenges of our people.

We need to make relevant policies which are game changers which aspire and challenge people. At the same time, we need to enhance personal contact in order to empower each and every individual and make our ideas and our vision people’s reality.

5 Unity is strength, I will send a strong message that when there is teamwork and collaboration, things can be achieved. We have an option ahead of us: move forward toward unity, or it will move apart. I need to ensure that we are clear on where our north is and need to get every single individual onboard to work towards the common effort this will be achieved through, guided by our principles and values.

Strong (and wherever necessary, bold and decisive) party organisational reform both at strategy level and policy level.

A drive to reach out, especially to people who over the years we have failed or set aside and to those who have seen the inspirational call of the party dwindle somewhat in their mind and hearts.