Adrian Delia and Bernard Grech went head-to-head on Tuesday evening in the first and only debate before the election on Saturday. These are the five key points raised.
1. ‘We have no tax problems’
Both men denied having any issues with the tax man, despite Delia himself confirming he still owes more than €60,000 in taxes and Grech admitting he only recently sorted out his dues.
“I never had financial troubles and never had issues with tax. The facts are clear. Over the years, while working, I always declared all my income. Those saying I could not feed my children were making up speculations to hurt me,” Delia said.
Grech said the issue shows that “people can trust that when he had difficulties [he] paid for them and dealt with them like others”.
Adrian Delia during the debate.2. Unity stances differ
While both Delia and Grech were eager to discuss unity, their positions were starkly different. Delia said those who had been fomenting lies “cannot continue to be allowed to cause disruptions”.
To this, Grech said: “Unity requires respect, dialogue, and commitment to respect everyone. These are things you need to work on daily. We want everyone to feel valued.”
This prompted a rebuttal from Delia who said he had never turned anyone away.
3. The party’s identity
Grech said it was crucial that the party made it clear the people are at the heart of the PN while Delia was adamant it acknowledges its past mistakes.
“If we do not show that we are not arrogant, that we are able to apologise, that we are in politics to serve, then we can never gain people’s trust back. We could present all the proposals, but we need to be able to serve the people,” Delia said.
Bernard Grech during the debate.4. No plan on planning
Both contenders agreed on this one. The pair criticised the government for not having a plan when it comes to development, saying the country was paying the price for this lack of long-term vision.
“A country must develop, but this government wanted a million-man mark. The government wanted to grow the economy by simply growing the population, because it had no ideas. Of course, we can have development but one that is sustainable and planned with long-term plans,” Delia said.
Meanwhile, Grech said the government only wanted to focus on consumption and like his rival, accused it of not having a plan.
“When I talk about the environment, I like to focus on wherever people are. My parents’ room at the home for the elderly is their environment, for instance, and so we need to make sure that even that environment is a healthy one. I would like to see beautification so even when we do develop, we need to have a plan,” he said.
5. Securing an electoral win for the PN
Delia is convinced the party can be an alternative to the present government, saying it can never get close to the “rampant corruption” seen in recent years under the Labour government.
“We will not only defeat this but we must also ensure this never happens again,” he said.
Grech believes the party must be credible to win because Malta needs a government that can clean up the island’s reputation.
“We have problems with our country’s reputation because a handful of people took over the Labour Party and wreaked havoc while in government,” he said.