Outgoing Democratic Party leader Marlene Farrugia insists she would not work with Adrian Delia and would not acknowledge him as Opposition leader.
However, she still thinks the Forza Nazzjonali coalition can work. “I will not work with him but he can work with us at Forza Nazzjonali when he sees the light,” Dr Farrugia said yesterday.
She added: “I will not acknowledge him as my Opposition leader. Not with his kind of ‘personal integrity’. He can fall in line with us, like any other well-intended person is free to do, but we won’t fall in line with him. [We] cannot follow such a leader.”
The comments come as Dr Delia today crosses to Gozo when he is expected to discuss the possibility of Nationalist MP Frederick Azzopardi relinquishing his seat in Parliament, thus opening the process to a casual election.
Dr Delia continues with his efforts to find a way to get co-opted to Parliament and thus also be-come leader of the Opposition.
Dr Farrugia said on Wednesday the PN had sunk deeper in the quagmire that engulfed it some years ago, adding that “DeliaPN” would snuff out any life left in it.
The Forza Nazzjonali coalition was struck during the electoral campaign on the initiative of former PN leader Simon Busuttil. The Democratic Party is represented in parliament by Dr Farrugia and her partner, former Labour Whip Godfrey Farrugia. Both contested the election on the PN list.
In the run-up to his election, Dr Delia had expressed doubts on the deal struck between the two parties.
We have a vision for our country
“My voters elected me on the PN ticket as a PD politician with a history of standing up to what is self-evident, manifestly, inherently right,” Dr Farrugia said.
“As Forza Nazzjonali, we have a vision for our country, a dream that we can and will turn into a living experience if we navigate these crucial moments in our political history with a free and clear mind.”
“Those on the PN benches who still believe in that noble vision, which will empower Malta and Gozo to snap out of mediocrity in terms of administration quality and really adopt good governance as the indispensable foundation on which to draw up and implement any other policy, is welcome to work with us to keep the coalition alive and give the country a strong, focused Opposition,” she added.
When asked, Dr Farrugia said she was not giving up on the coalition and insisted it could work because “it appears that Forza Nazzjonali is still alive and kicking within the Nationalist ranks”.
“If what seems to be the case proves to be the case, then the coalition might evolve into a more solid political entity that can give the country a potentially alternative government after having proven itself as a compact, constructive, no-nonsense Opposition,” she said.
“That way, PN-PD can prevail as an electable, political force that can steer the country to the path of good governance, which is crucial if we wish to stop it from sinking deeper into mediocrity, gluttony, decadence, short-termism and blatant totalitarianism.
“If we fail to regroup now, we will be condemning our country to the consequences of unbridled, senseless, unsustainable, corrupt governance,” Dr Farrugia remarked.