Chris Said says he would urge Simon Busuttil to keep his parliamentary seat

The Gozitan MP said that if elected leader his first priority would be unity and not divisiveness

Chris Said his first priority as PN leader would be to reunite the party
Chris Said his first priority as PN leader would be to reunite the party

Chris Said, one of the four candidates for Nationalist Party leader has come out in defence of outgoing leader Simon Busuttil, insisting that if he were to be elected leader, he would urge Busuttil to keep his seat in parliament.

Yesterday MP Mario Galea, in a Facebook post, urged Busuttil to give up his seat in parliament out of respect for whoever is elected to replace him.

However, Said, also writing on Facebook poured cold water on Galea’s statement, insisting there was a place for “all genuine people” in the party.

“There is talk of a clean sweep in the PN,” wrote Said. “This sort of statement only serves to divide the party. My experience in politics has taught me that by being calm, and without shouting and being overly emotional, the necessary changes can take place, and in the right way.”

The Gozitan MP said that if elected, his first priority would be party unity.

“And on Simon Busuttil, if I am elected leader I would urge him to keep his seat in parliament. As if I am going to try and get rid of Simon Busuttil,” said Said.

 

Galea yesterday said that although Busuttil was entitled to remain an MP, leaving parliament altogether was the right thing to do in the light of his decision to resign as PN leader.

Busuttil's continued presence in parliament would cast a shadow on any new leader, Galea said, praising former Prime Minister and PN leader Lawrence Gonzi's decision to immediately give up his seat after his resignation from the party leadership in 2013.

Galea's post depicted the party as riven by discontent and simmering resentment, with the MP insisting that during the last legislature, Busuttil had not consulted with the parliamentary group on a number of issues, choosing instead to make public statements that would then condition internal discussions.