[WATCH] Chris Fearne does not regret divisive comments on PN, says he will unite the country

No apologies were forthcoming from prime minister hopeful Chris Fearne who insists he will also be the leader of a political party that wants to win elections

Chris Fearne does not regret making divisive comments about the Nationalist Party, but says that his first role as prime minister would be to unite the nation.

The prime minister-hopeful facetiously said in a political activity in Paola that ‘RIPN’ would be engraved on his tombstone, a jab at the party in Opposition which, he said, would never govern for as long as he lived.

“It’s not a question of regrets. That comment was made tongue-in-cheek. It’s clear that if the Labour Party has faith in me to lead the country, my priority is to unite the nation,” he told MaltaToday, somewhat antithetically. 

READ ALSO: Fearne swears Nationalists will never govern for as long as he lives

Fearne was announcing the introduction of new medicines on the government formulary at the Floriana health centre on Thursday when he said that the next prime minister’s role would be to heal the wounds of Maltese society.

2019 was a tumultuous year of political revelations where Yorgen Fenech, Tumas magnate, was charged with masterminding the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Fenech had very close business links with former chief of staff Keith Schembri.

Fearne refused to apologise for the comments he made on the PN at such a delicate juncture, comments which were described by former PN leader Simon Busuttil as “arrogant.”

“If there’s someone who took offence, I apologise, but it’s not a question of regrets because as party leader I need to see that Labour remains a strong party, an organised party and in a position to win the next general election,” Fearne said. 

He added that in his commitment to unite the nation, his first move as prime minister would be to organise a rule of law conference that would invite all stakeholders as a way forward in the sector of good governance, something which arguably took a backseat in Joseph Muscat’s administration.