[WATCH] On Labour Day, Delia promises unremitting efforts to return Steward hospitals to the people

Adrian Delia has promised ceaseless efforts to return the three hospitals, given to Steward Health Care to manage, back to the public.

The PN leader said the 30-year concession given to Steward to run Gozo General, Karin Grech and St Luke's hospitals amounted to nothing but theft from the Maltese people, which was yesterday endorsed by government MPs who voted to defeat an Opposition motion to terminate the US company's contract.

"I promise I do not intend to stop before I see justice is done - before what belongs to the Maltese people is returned to them", Delia said in an interview on NET TV on Friday evening.

"The people are realising that Robert Abela's government - like that of Joseph Muscat before it - has one sole interest. And the interest is not that of the Maltese people, but its own personal interest and the interest of those who are complicit in gaining from this deal," he said.

PN moving towards a 'participative politics'

Delia said he had in the past weeks, amid the COVID-19 situation, been meeting with businesses and the self-employed to understand their circumstances.

He called for the drawing up of a post-COVID-19 strategy, and said that the contact established with the various strata of society had to remain in place.

"We must ensure that our way of politics is a participative one, wherein people do not merely communicate their views but are an integral part of how decisions are taken. This is an innovation which we are now starting to discuss," he said.

Asked - on this 16th anniversary of Malta's EU membership - where he would like to see Malta heading in the future, Delia said the first step was to rebuild the country's reputation.

"The PN was always a party which had the courage to not just take Malta into it's independence, but to also see it join the EU, because, despite being small, we believe in our people's capabilities..." he said.

Delia said the country was not only gaining from the EU, such as through obtaining funds, but was also contributing through exporting its talents.

"What I wish is that we now manage to rebuild our reputation," Delia added.