Nationalist Party Leader Bernard Grech is hopeful that the PN can continue to close the gap with the Labour Party in the coming weeks. The Malta Independent on Sunday interviewed Grech on Friday, amid rumours that government could call a March election next week.

According to surveys published in recent weeks, the Labour Party still has a very large lead.

Bernard Grech took over as leader of the PN in October 2020. He has since faced a mammoth of a challenge, closing the gap with the Labour Party which, since 2013, has won landslide electoral victories.

Asked whether his plan is to try and just shrink the gap or whether he believes the PN can win, Grech said that his intention is to, in the coming election, do all he can so that the PN will again be in government.

He was also asked about statements he had made, that Prime Minister Robert Abela is unable to take decisions and that Abela is being “led by others”. Grech was asked what decisions he believes the PM isn't taking, while keeping in mind that Abela had removed Konrad Mizzi from the Parliamentary Group and that Rosianne Cutajar was removed as parliamentary secretary. 

"It is evident that Abela does not take decisions himself, others decide for him. Many a time it is public opinion that decides for him."

"Try and note, everything that Abela says that I do or don't do is something that he is doing or not doing. When he says that I am being led, it means that he is saying it as he is being led. When he says that I act according to social media, it is because he acts according to social media and public opinion. The reality is that this week we had a golden opportunity, where 

This last statement was in reference to the PN's anti-corruption Bills that were debated in Parliament, but which were not approved as government MPs voted them down.

The election is right around the corner. Are you feeling confident?

Whenever the election comes, you will find the PN prepared and ready not only to participate in the election, but if the people decide that the PN should lead for the next five years, the PN is ready to govern.

There is still a large gap between the PL and PN in the polls, showing around a 36,000 divide*. Why do you think the Labour Party is so popular and the PN isn't at this stage?

Firstly, the polls are always a snapshot of that moment in time, a snapshot that can be precise or might not be exact. The reality is that people answer phones and not necessarily always say what is in their heart. That is why our work is focused on convincing these people to vote for the PN.

Yes, the gap looks to be very wide according to the polls. It is far less wide than it was when I became leader of the party and I remain confident that in the coming weeks or months we will continue to close that gap and, if the people decide, we would have a majority not a minority.

Is this a case of closing the gap in this election? Is your plan to shrink the gap by the end of it or do you believe the PN can overcome the odds and win?

I am not a political analyst. I am in politics to do good for the people and you can only do good by being in the driver’s seat, taking decisions. So, my intention is to, in the coming election, do all I can so that the PN will again be in government, to give this country back the reputation that it deserves and again give people the possibility to succeed because of their capabilities.

One of your aims when first elected as PN leader was to bring unity back to the party. There are still a number of Adrian Delia supporters who are a bit angry with the way the whole situation went down. Do you think you've managed to bridge that divide or is there still a problem within the party? Do you think those people will end up voting for the PN?

First of all, I respect every person who in some way or other was, is or will remain angry because there was a decision by 70% of PN paid-up members (tesserati) to choose me as party leader. But that is the decision the tesserati took, which I respect. However, I cannot ignore the hurt these people feel. There are people among them who today send me messages telling me they were hurt but now feel it is the time to forgive, move forward and believe that I can make a difference. 

Adrian Delia himself is working and has his supporters who help him in his work and are also helping the PN's work. I can say that, when compared to a year and three months ago, the situation in the party today is one that is far stronger, where we are able to work together, a united Parliamentary Group that works with a single intention. 

There are also clear messages coming from the PN Executive, where there was a secret vote by 89 people, who voted unanimously for the choice I put before them, for Graziella Galea to be co-opted as an MP to replace David Thake. That is a clear message. In secret, anyone not content could have invalidated their vote, abstained, voted against, but everyone voted in favour.

If the PN loses the election, will you remain on as leader, and would this depend on the number of votes?

Today many recognise how far the party has moved forward under my leadership. I am going to continue working, the election will come, the people will make their decision and one would see the situation on that day. But certainly, I remain determined to ask for support to keep working so that this party will keep becoming stronger and the country would truly have an alternative that is just and worthy. I will surely not run away from the helm at the most delicate time.

Do you have a number of votes in mind as an aim?

I don't weigh things through numbers; I weigh things through work and determination. After every election, according to our statute, the position of the PN leader is subject to a vote by the party paid-up members (tesserati).

How would you rate the government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic so far?

There were aspects where the government through the health authorities did well, but it significantly reduced in other aspects, not least of which was control. Even in the past months government kept believing that with frivolous words, with advertising, they were going to solve the pandemic. The realities show that, from when they said that the waves had left and were not on the ground, we, unfortunately, went through the first, second, third and fourth waves. We must realise that if we want the country's democracy to continue maturing, we need politicians who are honest, mature with the people. We cannot continue hoping and believing in frivolous words. 

That is my position, and even where the pandemic comes in I was always fair, clear and honest with the people. 

We saw a situation where government insisted on certain measures. We spoke about, after having 90% of the population vaccinated and with the booster, then it no longer made sense to force people to take the booster as it would be impinging on their liberty, especially if they are unable to take the vaccine. After this, government at first said we were irresponsible but then, 10 days after announcing that the 17 January measures came into force, said that on 7 February, they will be removing a number of measures.

The PN has argued that the Labour Party had made a U-turn. But there has also been criticism that you made a U-turn on this very issue, where originally you endorsed the rules announced by the health authorities, but a few days later came out and said that perhaps they should be revised...

Not at all… Our position was, is and will remain constant. We said that we believe in the work being done by the health authorities. We believe in science, and we believe, without a doubt, in the vaccine. From the beginning we have been saying that people should take the vaccine and the booster. So when I spoke five days prior to us declaring that government should not continue insisting that the vaccine be obligatory, as they were denying people their freedom, I was also saying that the people should continue to take the vaccine and the booster. But it is not right to deny people their freedom of choice, especially when you have people who, due to the regulations the government imposed, were not able to go to work. We recognised that difficulty, addressed it and the government followed.

There have been arguments made that the PN uses two weights and two measures, depending on if it is dealing with a political opponent or someone within the party. David Thake eventually resigned after the VAT incident, but his suspension from the Parliamentary Group came around nine days after the news broke. If that was a PL MP, the PN would surely have called for immediate resignation. Is this not two weights, two measures?

No. It was a story that developed, one that I without a doubt wanted to understand and see what was going on. I am not a person who cuts off heads on the spot, I would want to listen. So I gave the opportunity for the situation to be explained to me properly. There was development in the second week and within two days a decision was taken and Thake did what he had to do with responsibility and in fact resigned from Parliament as well. He did not wait, unlike elements within the PL have done and who are only saying that they are not going to contest the general election.

The Prime Minister called the PN's anti-corruption bills which were shot down in Parliament a 'political gimmick'. What's your reaction to that?

So for the Prime Minister’s legislative proposals that were praised in all editorials on news portals and in newspapers, which were also praised by academics, experts, the Chamber of Commerce and other social partners, are a gimmick. This is the problem we have in the country. I continue appealing for politicians to be mature and serious. It cannot be that only the Prime Minister is right and nobody else is

What's the next step? Are these Bills dead in the water? Will you wait to see what the government's proposals will end up?

Our proposals were clear, strong and good. They were hope for this country. Unfortunately, Robert Abela did not present, nor did his party present, a single amendment for these Bills. It is not a question of them having had something to fix, but was simply a case where the direction was issued by Abela and people around him to vote against because they are proposals made by the Opposition. Unfortunately, this is the level that Abela has brought politics to. We will continue insisting that we need these kinds of laws, as we want our economy and the country's name to become stronger. We want politicians who are in the driver's seat to be truly accountable for their actions, but Abela fears having proper checks and balances.

When there is an institution that does its work, they attack it, as they did the Courts, the Standards Commissioner, the Ombudsman, the Police… as they did to everyone who does not agree with them.

Obviously, then they would be happy with other institutions in the country like PBS for example. Until now, PBS is acting according to the directions given by Abela.

  

*The gap between the parties as shown in recent surveys is around 46,000.