[WATCH] PN leader excludes any form of coalition with other parties

Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia has excluded forming any coalition with other political formations in the future, after having torn up the pre-election agreement with the Democratic Party.

"We will continue discussing with everyone, but I exclude having another coalition in the future," Delia said during an interview at the Nationalist Party headquarters this evening.

Interviewed by presenter Brian Hansford, who hosts the TVM discussion show Realta, Delia said that he expects the PN MEPs to follow the party's political direction and support Helena Dalli's nomination as European Commissioner.

However, Delia also insisted that the government had to show signs that it wanted to fix Malta's battered reputation abroad as a result of bad governance.

Delia warned that government’s lack of long-term planning will have negative repercussions on the country’s future.

The interview was part of the PN's Independence Day celebrations being held this year at the headquarters rather than the Granaries in Floriana.

Delia insisted the country deserved a government that focused on long-term policies. "If someone had to ask what the government’s political direction is, nobody could provide an answer," he said.

Asked what the PN’s ambitions would be if it had to be in office, Delia said that he wanted a greener and more environmentally friendly country.

He also insisted that he had enough of the government boasting about its surplus, while 70,000 people were living in poverty.

The PN leader also said that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s calls for an improved middle class were unsubstantiated.

“He no longer mentions the middle class, because he knows that he has forgotten them,” Delia said.

The Opposition leader also said the PN was not against being pro-business, but accused government of being in favour of big-business.

"We want all businesses to succeed not the handpicked few," he said.

Talking about recent media reports, in which former Labour deputy leader and justice minister Joe Brincat filed a judicial protest against MFSA CEO Joseph Cuschieri, Delia insisted that this highlighted the government’s ambitions of taking over the country’s institutions.

"This goes beyond the limits of good governance, and we will be there to ensure that these actions are halted," Delia said.

Asked about the confidence vote last July, Delia thanked those who filed the motion, stating that the cornerstone of the PN was that of having a mix of ideas which represent the different opinions in society.

"Society today is a mosaic of ideas, and the PN is a party that represents this," Delia said.

On the Gozo tunnel, Delia said the government had started to panic, and that is why it is fast-forwarding the process.

"When we went to Parliament, we proposed a series of amendments calling for a public discussion and full studies before the project could go on. If the government refuses to do this, the PN will keep on fighting,” he said.

Asked if he considered re-shuffling the party shadow portfolios, Delia said that he will carry out one when he feels it is the appropriate time to do so.

Delia concluded by stating that he did not want a PN that only criticised, but a party that offered a proper alternative.