No more ‘religio et patria’, PN moots ‘at your service’ slogan

PN wants economic growth ‘without tarnishing Malta’s reputation’

The PN wants to grow the economy without dragging the country’s reputation through the mud, PN leader Adrian Delia said today in an interview.

Insisting that he wanted an economy where everyone worked, earned money and took what was rightfully theirs without needing to resort to corruption, Delia said: “Robert Abela, instead of giving to the small and the weak, continues to give only to the giants.”

Corruption had a price tag that was being paid for by workers and their families, he said, pointing to the ill-conceived Steward Healthcare, Electrogas and VistaJet deals. The hundreds of millions of euros wasted on these deals could otherwise have been invested in helping those negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the jobless and pensioners.

“This is the principal message of the PN, that we can grow our economy without diminishing our country’s reputation, where you do well without the need for corruption and where the wealth created really reaches everyone.”

During the interview, the PN leader also mooted the possibility of changing the PN’s motto from “Religio et Patria” to “Għas-Servizz Tiegħek” (for your service), as part of a suite of reforms which the PN has been working on in the past months.

Asked about the polls which have consistently placed the PN well behind Labour, Delia said that change would not happen overnight. “A week is a long time in politics,” he added, reminding the host that things could happen that would shift the PN’s electoral fortunes. “For instance, we are no longer in a situation where the economy is thriving,” he said. 

Delia was also asked about the way the government had handled the COVID-19 pandemic and what he would have done differently. 

He said that partisan politics should have been put on the back burner during a time of national crisis.  

The government had given people just enough to keep their heads above water, he said, adding that while he agreed that it was important to first help those most in need, the time had come for more to be done.  It was clear that the government was not doing enough to help businesses, Delia claimed.

He criticised Prime Minister Robert Abela for making several major announcements through “propaganda” videos on social media and the national broadcaster. The Opposition, he said, did not have the resources to do likewise. 

It was also not possible for the PN to match the government's media advertising spend, which could be financed from the public purse.