Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech on Sunday denied an allegation made by one of his own former MPs that the party had received a donation in exchange for working towards a presidential pardon for somebody.
During an interview on NET TV the PN leader denied what he described as “serious allegations on the party” and said that he will be meeting the PN’s administrative council later on during the day to address the issue and see what steps the party needs to take.
The allegations in question were posted by former PN MP Jason Azzopardi on social media on Saturday, where he alleged that the party had plans to take a donation in exchange for them to work on a presidential pardon to be given to someone close to Grech.
Azzopardi said that he had been an obstacle for this to happen.
Azzopardi’s Facebook post was in response to Grech’s comments about the former MP having to accept that every political career has an “expiry date”.
Commenting on the matter, Grech said that the party cannot let such serious allegations to be associated with the party and added that it believes that justice should be served.
Workers’ day
Speaking about Worker’s Day, Grech said that this day should serve as a day full of reflection on why workers are necessary and thus must be appreciated more.
He added that such appreciation should be reflected in the way the Maltese nation embraces and gives workers the necessary rights for them to have the right work-life balance.
“We don’t want exploitation of workers” said Grech.
He said that some workers cannot plan their life ahead, sometimes not even by the day because “they are not told how they are going to work the following day.”
He added that others might be preoccupied because they do not know if they are going to have a job the following day, because of the type of contract that their job carries, such as in the case of six-month contracts.
“We need to have jobs which are innovative and of quality,” he said.
18th anniversary of Malta in Europe
“I believe that the decision to be in the EU was an indispensable one which a PN government had taken together with the Maltese population” Grech said on the occasion of the 18th anniversary since Malta entered the European Union.
Addressing the PL, he said that despite it being against Malta entering in EU back in 2004, the party has now understood its importance as it has given access to many funds which the country has benefitted from.
Apart from that, he added, since Malta has become a member of the EU, not only has it raised the country’s national standards, but it has also created new opportunities for youths as they can now work freely in other European countries.
Grech said that the next step is to give Maltese traders access to the European market as it would make trading much easier, whilst giving the opportunity for Europeans to have access to the Maltese product.
“It was the Maltese nation that voted yes for EU, and I believe that when given the opportunity they have always chosen the right direction,” said Grech.
Nomination for party leadership
Speaking about his sole nomination for party leader, he said that if he is entrusted with the councillors votes he will “change what is needed in the party”.
“In order to move forward we need to change our mentality and attitude and address the party’s current debt status, in order not to let it hinder our operations” he said.
Speaking about the challenges the PN’s general council has listed, he said that some people have appreciated that he is becoming more transparent in discussing the hard decisions that need to be taken.
Addressing those who did not appreciate his transparency he said that this is the only way for the party to move forward.
Speaking about the party’s plans for the next five years, he said that it is planning to become a stronger opposition.
“When I become party leader, I promised to become stronger together and to regenerate the party, and that is what we have been doing ever since” he said.
He added that the party not only needs to regenerate by recruiting new people, but it also needs to change its mentality and listen to opinions and ideas and then “decide together”.