[WATCH] The Nationalist Party will keep fighting for the people’s interests – Adrian Delia

Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia, addressing the final session of the party’s General Council, said that democracy was in jeopardy in Malta, but that his party would be fighting to restore it

he Nationalist Party’s General Council started on 17 February, and culminated with a closing address from leader Adrian Delia this evening. (Photo: James Bianchi/MediaToday)
he Nationalist Party’s General Council started on 17 February, and culminated with a closing address from leader Adrian Delia this evening. (Photo: James Bianchi/MediaToday)
The Nationalist Party will keep fighting for the people’s interests – Adrian Delia

Democracy in Malta is in jeopardy, because the government has taken control of the country’s institutions, Adrian Delia said.

The Nationalist Party, however, will continue to fight for the people’s interests and to restore democracy in Malta, he said.

The PN leader was speaking on Wednesday during the final session of the party’s week-long annual General Council, which had the theme “together for our country”.

In a speech which touched upon several areas where he said the government had failed, Delia said that the threat to democracy was a major concern for the country. “And it is not I who is saying this, but every report and every entity that had the chance to investigate the situation in Malts.”

He referred to a recently published Ombudsman’s report on promotions in the army, saying this showed that the promotional process had taken place merely to confirm appointments which had already been chosen before the necessary process started.

“The Ombudsman’s report said that the responsible ministry seemed unaware of the serious repercussions to the security of the country if officers in the army are not chosen in a responsible way. The Ombudsman himself is here confirming that democracy in Malta in under threat.”

What the Ombudsman report said applies to several institutions in Malta he said, including the Police Commissioner and the Attorney General. “The government, has taken all institutions in its hands, one by one… It wants to have absolute power to investigate or not whom it wants.”

The government had rendered the institutions – which are supposed to defend the people –  capable only of defending the government of the day, he emphasised.

He remarked that it was lucky that the weather wasn’t under the control of the government. “If it were, we’d have storm after storm, and Malta would keep deteriorating.”

The problem of good governance was also evident in the way the government was disposing of public land, he said. “The government has the power to take that which belong to the people and give it to whom it wants.”

The Nationalist Party is fighting the fight for national interest he insisted, highlighting that he had taken the case of the Vitals Global Healthcare deal to court, in an effort to give back the hospitals to the people.

“If the government tries to take anything which is the people’s, it will find the Nationalist Party which will stand up for the people and will keep fighting for the common interest.”

“Democracy is under threat, but the PN will be fighting to restore it.”

‘A soulless state’

Turning to the issue of social justice, he said that while Joseph Muscat had promised to create a new middleclass, he had instead given birth to a class educated-poor. “The government said it was pro-business, but it turns out its only interested in big business.

He said the cost of living was increasing, as was the price of property and cost of renting. “Everywhere you look, you find young people who can’t even start their lives… Young people earning an average wage can not only not be approved for a home loan, but can’t even afford to pay rent.”

“This is the country in ‘the best of times’. This is a government without a social conscience, which wants to create a soulless state.”

He said that the PN believed in a person’s right to have a decent life, and this meant having a place to live in. “A PN government would guarantee that every person has a roof over their head.”

Those who were being treated unfairly, those who felt forgotten, those who had given up on having a decent life, and those who wanted Malta’s reputation to be restored should not permit the government to make them give up, and the Nationalist Party would be there for them, Delia said in his closing arguments.