Nationalist MP Edwin Vassallo has criticised PN grandees Lawrence Gonzi and Louis Galea over their recent public statements calling on Adrian Delia to step aside or put his leadership to the test.
“Party grandees should refrain from making such public pronouncements as these are harming any prospect of healing the current rift,” Vassallo said.
“Lawrence Gonzi and Louis Galea would do better by making their views known in face-to-face meetings with Delia rather than go public,” he added.
The PN MP, who was among those who did not support last week’s no-confidence vote in Delia, made this criticism when asked for his view on the current leadership crisis gripping the Opposition party.
He said he was against putting Delia’s leadership to the test once again, as this was already done last year. Back then, the PN leader’s critics had pledged to back off and respect the verdict of the general council, he said.
Delia had won the vote by 67 per cent.
The MP remarked that was ironic that Galea, who piloted the recently approved statute amendments, was calling for a fresh contest despite Delia having been democratically elected by the members on the strength of the statute.
Adrian Delia is the only person capable of returning the PN to its former glory
As for the way forward, Vassallo said he was still hopeful that the deadlock could be broken, but only if Delia remained at the helm.
“Adrian Delia is the only person capable of returning the PN to its former glory. Otherwise the party will remain in the hands of those who think they know best, but who were responsible for the landslides of recent years,” he said.
“This can be a watershed moment in the PN’s 140-year history. This crisis can be the start of a revival, provided Delia is allowed to work,” he said.
Vassallo said he was against expelling MPs who last week voted against Delia at a meeting of the parliamentary group and called for a new leader of the opposition, but at the same time he said their departure from the party would be “inevitable" if they persisted with their cause.
“I will always believe reconciliation is possible as unity is essential, but every decision comes at a price,” he said.