The Nationalist Party is willing to work with anyone who might have left the party in recent years, leader Bernard Grech said on Sunday, insisting he would explore relationships with former members.
Grech made the remarks during an interview aired on the PN's media platforms when he was asked about whether he would be willing to work with former MP Franco Debono.
"I am sending a message to everyone: there are a lot of people who left us some years ago, people yes like Franco Debono and so yes, we will explore all these possible relationships for those whose views about the party have changed," Grech said. He described Debono as a person who still had a lot to offer.
Debono served as a PN MP in the 2008-2013 legislature but ended that term after a series of clashes with then-party leader Lawrence Gonzi and then-Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici over constitutional and justice reforms. At the end of 2012 he voted with the then Labour opposition against the budget, effectively bringing down the government a few months before a general election was due.
He was one of three people which the PN had barred from contesting the 2013 general election on its ticket and he has not contested an election since then.
The PN leader also said he was eager for the party to welcome young, fresh faces though he insisted the priority was making sure all those in politics are "clean".
"What’s the point of having new people involved when they’re not clean?"
Consultation on cannabis reform
On the proposed cannabis reform which the government unveiled in recent weeks, Grech said he is in the process of consultation with a series of experts in order to be equipped with all the knowledge on the issue.
"We need to understand what is happening in society. If we continue to believe something is not taking place because we cannot see it. In Malta, thousands of young people are cannabis users.
"That is why I have asked for a broad consultation, both with those for and against the changes, because this is a serious issue and we need to tackle it in this way and not through irresponsible statements by politicians. This is not about making some noise," he said.
'Pardons should be a last resort'
Meanwhile, asked about his position on the granting of pardons for those accused of crimes to spill the beans, Grech said had the island's institutions worked effectively, there would not be the need to turn to criminals for information.
"But because we have problems in our systems, that is what we are forced to do. I do not want people who committed serious crime to be out and about as though nothing happened. Where is the justice in that?" he said.
And on migration, the PN leader said if he is elected prime minister, he would make sure to put his country first but also that the island meets its international obligations.
"We need to address the problem at source and that’s not Libya. The migrants are coming from various countries, so we need to look at the problems and those countries and with the EU put them to ask to address the problems. I am sure we can convince are European counterparts if we truly try.
"The problem last weekend was a lack of transparency," he said, referring to reports migrants were in distress at sea. The AFM later claimed the people aboard the boat had expressed a desire to reach Italy and had done so "on their own steam."