The Nationalist Party failed to present a tangible vision after leading Malta into the European Union in 2004, according to leadership candidate Bernard Grech.

Grech, who is proud to be dubbed a ‘village lawyer’, told Times of Malta that this was the main reason for the party’s successive defeats at the polls.

“After the 2003 referendum and the general election that followed, the PN had no tangible vision. After we reached that apex, we were happy we were there and it was like we had nothing more to offer. We need to know where we want to be in five, 10 or 15 years’ time.”

Along the years, he added, the PN had started becoming exclusive instead of inclusive.

“When you start reducing the circle, the numbers start to fall.”

In answer to questions, he said he had not demanded to be the sole candidate to take on Adrian Delia for the party leadership. While insisting that internal talks should remain confidential, he said there had been a “mature discussion” followed by the decision that party unification should start at the leadership election.

Asked whether he backed the so-called rebel MPs in their efforts to oust Delia, Grech replied in the negative.

However, he said that as one of the party’s highest organs, the decision of the majority in the parliamentary group not to back Delia should have been respected.

A better leader

What, in his view, would make him a better leader than Delia?

“I stand for unity. I can listen more, and I am better at taking advice. I have spoken to Delia before and given him advice, but I understood that perhaps that advice was not always properly listened to.”

He said that he, instead, was predisposed to receiving people and listening to them.

“I do not mind being called the village lawyer because that is where it all started. I also have the blessing of being moderate and patient. It takes a lot for me to lose my temper and this perhaps makes people more comfortable to address me.”

As a politician, I cannot just listen to my conscience but need to listen to what people want and what is best for the country

Asked whether he was ready to make public all his tax declarations and financial situation, Grech replied in the affirmative and confirmed that he had no pending tax issues.

The village lawyer

He acknowledged that he was relatively new to politics, having been active in politics only since 2012, when he accepted an invitation by the then leader, Lawrence Gonzi, to start involving himself as a political commentator.

He had first been approached in 1998 by then-leader Eddie Fenech Adami but he had declined because he was only just starting out in his private practice as a lawyer.

In 2011, he campaigned staunchly against the introduction of the divorce law as it was being proposed but he insisted yesterday that he was not anti-divorce.

Not against divorce

“It was not a mistake to campaign against the divorce law. I never said I was against divorce. I was not anti-divorce. I had the right to an opinion and the right to change that opinion.

“At the time, I was staunchly against certain articles of the divorce law. The law could have been done better but we were asked to accept it as it was.

“What is wrong with moving forward now? As a politician, I cannot just listen to my conscience but need to listen to what people want and what is best for the country,” he said.

“People should be put before things. If we take that as the initial and most important principle, other issues fall into place.”

He countered the suggestion that he was ‘ultra-conservative’.

“I don’t like labels. I have no problem if I am labelled as a conservative if this means that I have principles. I could be conservative at heart but not in thought. I am ready to discuss and change positions according to what is best for people and for the country.”

Ultra-conservative?

Asked about abortion, he said he was open to a discussion about the issue although he had his opinion on the matter. “I think we all value life. The abortion issue is not just a yes or a no because people will be affected, so whichever government tries to go there has to be prepared to think of those people.”

Questioned about his position on gay marriage and gay adoption, Grech said these were non-issues, stemming from his belief that people should not pigeonholed or labelled.

On migration, he said that while the economy needed migrants because the country needed more manpower, there were risks associated with basing the economy on numbers.

On migrant rescues, Grech said Malta had the international duty to save lives at sea and could not push back people when crossing to Europe in search of a better life or in any way place their life in jeopardy.

“We are part of a bloc. We have that forum where to change the way we look at migration. We should convince the EU that the solution is not at sea but at the country of origin because migration is not the problem but the effect of a problem.”