Both contestants for the Nationalist Party leadership stressed the importance of listening to the people during back-to-back interviews carried out by Times of Malta on Thursday.

In the interviews, broadcast live on Net TV and streamed on Times of Malta’s online platforms, both contestants faced 20 minutes of questioning by journalist Matthew Xuereb on a variety of topics.

Last month, the PN's general council voted to hold a fresh leadership contest after a series of no-confidence votes Delia. 

The incumbent leader now faces challenger Grech in a two-horse race next month.

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Adrian Delia

Party leader Adrian Delia said the people had trusted him with a five-year programme and no one envisaged it would be interrupted every year.

In spite of this, he had implemented most of what he promised. A five-year plan had been launched for the party’s media to break even. This used to cost the party €1.5 million a year but it will break even in a year. Changes to the party’s statute to modernise it had also been implemented.

Delia said that when he took over the party, supporters were afraid the party would be forced to sell its clubs. Not only did it not sell them, but an income stream was created, rising from €18,000 a year to nearly €250,000 a year.

Another promise had been in a change in attitude. Delia said he had promised to make the Nationalist Party a party of the people, giving them the importance they deserved. 

“I now visit people’s homes, I listen to their woes, Nationalists are hurt,” Delia said.

Asked why the PN was not yet being considered as an alternative government, Delia said that after spending 25 years in government the party could not become an alternative government immediately. 

However, the process was under way and a few weeks ago he had presented a list of 22 people who were willing to contest the election with the PN.

Asked about his weak performance in surveys, Delia said it was not just him who did not do well in surveys, but the whole party. More than surveys, the PN had lost two general elections.

The problem of surveys, he said, had been coming for years.

“We lost and we kept losing votes, so the necessary changes have not yet taken place,” he said, although he denied that the gap was growing.

If the surveys were considered methodologically, he said, the party was in a better position than it was in 2013 although it still had a lot to do.

On corruption, Delia said the PN was not just speaking against corruption, it was also fighting it. He cited the Vitals case as an example and said a victory on this case would mean €250,000 a week for the people. This translated into €900 a week for every family. 

Asked about what he perceived as the “establishment” within party, Delia denied that he rejected MPs like Jason Azzopardi to work within the party to the extent that he even appointed him shadow minister for justice.

But it was Azzopardi who showed his reluctance to work within the party. Grilled about other MPs like Therese Comodini Cachia, Delia said she had presented herself as an alternative opposition leader. The MPs who had gone to the President seeking a change in the party’s leadership had damaged the party, he said.

Asked how he would work with such MPs if he was re-elected leader, Delia said the few should not decide for the many within the party while ignoring the members' decision. 

Asked what made him a better contender than Bernard Grech, he said his adversary was the prime minister not Grech as he re-invited Robert Abela for a debate.

Bernard Grech

Although new to the PN’s structures, Bernard Grech said he was not a new face to Maltese politics as he had been participating in political discussions since at least 2012, “without fear or favour”.

He said he became active within the PN in May, when the party was at its worst and he continued to say what he believed in without fear.

“I am now offering myself to serve, if people choose me, as party leader. It is not true that I am pushed by anyone or that I am anyone’s puppet. I am my own man.

“I am not backed by anyone but I spoke to parliamentarians who support me and others who don’t and I believe that if I become leader, I will enjoy everyone’s confidence.”

Asked whether he enjoyed the support of the “establishment”, Grech said the establishment of the party was those currently administering it.

“However, I have its trust as I had been asked to contest the election with the party.”

The party, Grech said, has to include everyone and no one should be attacked.

Asked whether a leadership race at this point in time was more detrimental for the party, Grech said the race was taking place because it was what the party’s councillors opted for. Had nothing been done, it would have been worse for the party because it was deteriorating, he said.

He denied having any pact or agreement with the 17 “rebel” MPs, saying he wanted to be free to take his own decisions.

Grech took exception to the description of the term "rebel MPs", insisting that when the absolute majority of a parliamentary group got together they could not be “rebels”.  All had their talents and their place within the party.

He said he believed in teamwork and for this, the right climate had to be created for everyone. He said he would work at this and would also seek professional help, if needed, to recreate the atmosphere of a group whose members believed in each other. He would also take action when there were shortcomings, such as leaks.

“We cannot push people aside, we cannot attack people, we have to understand what they are going through, we have to feel their hurt. I will direct our MPs to go to the people and understand what they are saying.”

Grech said he had 320 people helping him in his campaign and work was continuously under way. He referred to the crowdfunding campaign he launched earlier in the day asking people to help and said that €22,000 had already been collected. This money will finance his campaign and whatever remained would be donated to the party.

He stressed that he wanted more female participation within all the party's organs and said he wished to see a female deputy leader if the leader was male.