In politics, loyalty is fundamental. Loyalty not just towards the leader and the administration, but above all loyalty towards the followers who democratically have and should continue to have a say in all decisions taken by the respective party. I have now been defined as Andre Grech the Delia loyalist and friend due to my position held during the recent Party Executive meetings.  Those who used this term tried to use it disrespectfully, but for me, it shows the true colours of what loyalty truly means. 

I met Adrian Delia before he became leader of the PN. I met him during his fight against corruption in football.  I admired his determination to clean football and his constant appeals towards a better sporting environment for our athletes and children.  When he decided to run for leader, the vision proposed by Adrian Delia, not only for the party, but also for the country, matched my own vision. I supported him fully, and once the tesserati elected him as leader in a democratic process, as I did with previous leaders, I remained loyal throughout.  I repeat again what I started with, loyal not just towards the leader, but also towards all those who make up the PN and who expressed their choice democratically. 

These nearly three years of Adrian Delia as leader were not an easy journey.  Far from it.  These months were a continuous struggle against not only the traditional opponent of the Partit Nazzjonalista, the Malta Labour Party, but also he had to face continuous pressures from inside the party due to the fact that some opposed the New Way of doing politics proposed by Adrian Delia.  This New Way, in simple terms, means bringing the party closer to the people and creating a sense of collaboration within the party structures.  These are not merely clichés but are written black on white on the newly reformed party statute approved in the last weeks.  Some opposed this new idea of teamwork; these same people responsible for two massive electoral defeats; defeats caused by arrogance and by centralization of power.  Why are these people so afraid of bringing new ideas? Why are these people afraid of offering space on the same table, instead of ostensibly taking decisions in the backroom? 

There are numbers that prove that the people have faith in Adrian Delia.  These last two years there was an increase in party membership and an increase in the number of people who would like to invest in the party via the cedoli scheme. The PN used to end the year in deficit, but this is history since for the past two years a profit was declared.  This revenue was increased not through the selling of property, but through the renting of premises for commercial purposes at commercial rates.  Throughout the fund-raising campaign there is an estimate number of fifty thousand people who have become regular donors.  The PN is once more attracting people because the people feel comfortable with Adrian Delia at the helm.

In spite of all this, and at the result of sacrificing a lot on both a personal and professional level, Adrian Delia kept on working, meeting people, offering a listening ear to all.  The leader of the party is expected by his followers to give the most attention to the party. Instead, Adrian Delia, faced head on issues that affect the whole country. All of us are suffering from the corruption which is the order of the day of this government. Adrian Delia kept fighting, kept insisting.  He, alone, embarked on a lawsuit aimed at giving us back what is ours by right; our own health care system sold in a dirty, dark deal to foreign investors.  He was alone but still did not give up, and is thanks to Adrian Delia’s persistence that certain details are now public to all.

Adrian Delia speaks for you, speaks for us all.  That is why all those asked to cast their vote this week should vote in favour of his motion.  This is the last straw to have a new PN, a party in which everyone feels welcome, in which we all work together, with no backstabbing or spooks in the wheels.  The main aim of the PN is to be a clean, alternative government; a government for all. Adrian Delia already is one of us. Adrian Delia has already shown he believes fully in democracy, he believes fully in the truth and above all, believes that the truth is definitely worth fighting for.