Grech brushes off Għasri mayor’s PN resignation: ‘People come and go’

Bernard Grech appeared unfazed by the resignation of Għasri mayor Daniel Attard from the PN that came to light over the weekend.

Attard resigned from the PN but retained his seat on the Għasri council as an independent.

But on Monday, Grech said he never had a problem with Attard and had spoken to him six days ago.

“People come and go. It is not nice to have someone leave but I respect those who make such choices. I remain committed to encourage people to return… only a few weeks ago we saw a former PN councillor in St Paul’s Bay re-join the party,” he said.

Attard’s resignation comes after four MPs withdrew from the electoral race last week. Clyde Puli, Kristy Debono, Mario Galea and Claudio Grech withdrew their candidatures although Grech remains heavily involved with the party.

“Sometimes there are personal reasons for these decisions because politicians are also human but I remain focussed on attracting new people to the party, not only on the frontline but also as volunteers to help us,” Grech said.

In his resignation letter to PN secretary-general Michael Piccinino, Attard gave no reasons for the decision but it came after he met with Prime Minister Robert Abela.

On Facebook, Attard said he was "looking ahead with positivity" and thanked all those who had shown him faith. 

With Attard's resignation, the PN has lost control of the Għasri local council, where it now holds two seats to the Labour Party's two. Attard is now an independent.