Aquilina hits back at Labour ad that takes PN to task over infighting

Nationalist MP Karol Aquilina has called out a Labour Party advert that is playing strongly on the PN’s internal divisions from the past five years.

The advert features the PN’s headquarters in Pietà shattered in half, with various personalities from within and outside the PN popping up and interspersed with commentary from episodes of the PN’s internecine battle for influence.

Chiefly, the advert draws heavily from the ‘unwanted’ election of Adrian Delia as PN leader in 2017, who was finally voted out in a 2020 leadership election when rebel MPs backed Bernard Grech for leader.

Aquilina, who features in the advert, accused Labour leader Robert Abela of turning the dial down to negative campaigning in the early stages of the 2022 elections.

“He is sowing the negativity that Labour so excels in,” said Aquilina, who himself played a strong part in opposing Delia’s leadership. “They certainly take first place in tarnishing other people’s reputations! That’s what they did to Malta. They destroyed its name.”

Aquilina accused Labour of being a ‘prizewinner’ for the FATF greylisting of Malta and for former leader Joseph Muscat taking the ‘most corrupt person of the year award’ in 2019 by the OCCRP news website.

“They had to sack a prime minister, a deputy leader, chief of staff, and minister, while being found collectively responsible for the assassination of a journalist... now they are trying to use this ad to tarnish us who have never stopped working for truth and justice.”

The video still Aquilina chose was that of Bernard Grech, Jason Azzopardi, Beppe Fenech Adami, and himself.

“On 26 March, I encourage you to use your vote as your reply to them,” he said on Facebook.