David Thake accuses PN chiefs of boycotting Nationalists on party media

Former St Paul’s Bay councilor David Thake has accused the Nationalist Party’s administration of “boycotting” Nationalist MPs and activists by preventing them from being allowed on the party’s media.

In a Facebook post uploaded yesterday, Thake claimed that a number of former Media.Link colleagues had told him that ever since PN Secretary General Clyde Puli and Media.Link CEO Pierre Portelli had taken over, individuals had to be approved by them before being given any air-time.

“Ever since Clyde Puli and Pierre Portelli started to implement the New Way every gues on NET Television and Radio 101 must be approved by them,” wrote Thake. “This is because there are a number of Nationalists, including some MPs who were elected by the people, that they don’t want on the party’s stations.”

Thake claimed that the boycott on these individuals had been ordered by Puli and Portelli.

“You read that well, they don’t want Nationalists and MPs that you voted for on a station finance by you,” continued Thake. “The boycott ordered by Puli and Portelli isn’t against Labour Party MPs or opportunists but against Nationalists.”

He said that administration’s actions were a far cry from their stated aim of uniting the party.

Portelli was quick to reply, accusing Thake of lying.

“David, thank you for giving me this opportunity to inform those who are following you that you are spreading lies. Regards and good luck for your any future projects you might have,” Portelli wrote.

Thake however responded by challenged Portelli to prove that he was wrong by publishing a list of all PN MPs that had appeared on the party’s media. There was no reply by Portelli.

A number of people commenting on the thread expressed their views with some agreeing with Thake that the party had changed for the worse since the election of current leader Adrian Delia.

Others however jumped to Portelli’s defense, accusing Thake and “a few others” of acting against the party.