Adrian Delia returned to Gozo on Friday, August 22, to continue his leadership campaign for the Nationalist Party. A crowd of loyal tesserati attended the event, which took place at 'Maxtura' on the Marsalforn road. The gathering had a homely touch since my daughter Cynthia Galea, Delia's partner, on her own Gozitan ground hosted it. She guided the evening with a mix of light-hearted questions and serious issues that touch the daily lives of Gozitans.

Cynthia opened by quizzing Adrian about typical Gozitan words, among them the term "xenxul" which means a bunch. The hopeful PN leader understood the word and even described it correctly, drawing applause from the audience. The exchange created a light moment, but the discussion soon shifted to issues that weigh heavily on Gozo.

The first concern raised was about accessibility. Delia argued that the fast ferry schedule serves tourists rather than workers. According to him, the government should give precedence to Gozitan workers commuting to Malta every day. He explained the ferry service in its present form ignores this reality and leaves workers struggling with inconvenient timetables. He reminded the audience that Gozo Channel once ran a cargo ferry to Sa Maison in Pietà, but the government removed it to make way for a yacht marina. That service, Adrian said, eased pressure on Gozo Channel and helped businesses move goods without clogging the main ferry line. He insisted that such a service deserves revival.

Adrian spoke of the need for vision beyond the existing setup. He suggested the introduction of a fast ferry capable of carrying vehicles directly to Valletta. Such a service would ease the bottleneck at Ċirkewwa, where congestion frustrates both locals and visitors. He turned his criticism to the wet-leased Greek ferry currently operating for Gozo Channel. He said the vessel falls short of modern standards while costing taxpayers about €14,000 a day. This is money wasted, he said, because the ferry adds nothing new to the service, does not improve efficiency, and simply papers over the cracks of government mismanagement. For Adrian, this is yet another example of the government treating Gozo as a burden rather than as an integral part of the country.

He clarified that Gozo urgently needs a fifth ferry, but that the current facilities at Mġarr cannot handle it. The government, he said, has had years to invest in an expansion of the Mġarr terminal but chose not to. This failure keeps Gozitans stuck with long queues and wasted hours. He said the government wastes millions on vanity projects in Malta while Gozo cannot even get an adequate ferry terminal. He argued that if the government truly believed in equality between the islands, it would have invested long ago in making Mġarr a modern hub capable of handling more ferries, better passenger flows, and efficient cargo transport.

From transport, Adrian moved to health, a subject that touches every Gozitan family. The promise of a new Gozo Hospital, still unfulfilled, was what he reminded the audience about. He argued Gozitans cannot wait any longer and deserve modern medical care on their own island. He clarified that health care should not depend on political manoeuvring or empty pledges. Authorities should deliver it urgently and respectfully to the people. The government, he said, stripped Gozo of its hospital when it handed it over to Steward in a corrupt deal, and now, years later, the people remain without a proper hospital. He told the tesserati that government failure on health is not just about contracts and money. It is about human lives, delayed treatment, and families forced to travel to Malta for services they should have on their doorstep.

The evening also turned to the PN itself and the role of its members. Delia referred to the tesserati the backbone of the party. He described the tesserati as the driving force behind every step the party takes. Their decisions, he stressed, will shape the PN's destiny. Adrian encouraged the Gozitan members to take part more and to ask to have a bigger role in deciding what the party does. He said the party has treated Gozitans as an afterthought for too long. This needs to change, and it can only change if Gozitans insist on it.

Cynthia pressed him on a sore point for Gozitans: the exclusion of Gozo from the €700 million allocation for road repairs. Adrian condemned the decision as shameful. He told the crowd that roads in Gozo are in worse shape than those in Malta, yet the government left Gozo out of the plan entirely. He reminded everyone that the promise was not a small one. Seven hundred million euros is the investment that changes the face of a country. Even with the opportunities available, Gozo, unfortunately, received nothing. He said this proves that when the government speaks about Gozo, it speaks with empty words, not commitments.

Adrian explained that under his leadership every national budget would set aside a fixed percentage for capital projects in Gozo, with special focus on infrastructure. According to him, if a government discusses equality, Gozitan roads should be in a better and safer state. He painted a picture of daily life in Gozo today: motorists swerving around potholes, farmers struggling to move produce, buses delayed, and visitors complaining that Gozo feels neglected. He reminded the crowd that while the government cuts ribbons in Malta, Gozitans bump along forgotten roads.

Adrian also pointed to other examples of neglect. Promises of new ferries never materialised. Even the fast ferry service, touted as a fundamental change, became another tourist gimmick rather than a genuine solution for commuters. Adrian said Gozitans have every right to feel resentful and insulted. He said it is not enough for the government to show up during the summer, smile for the cameras, and then disappear. It is important that the amount of investment corresponds with what the Government had promised.

The meeting closed on a note of gratitude and resolve. Adrian thanked those who attended, those who signed his nomination, and those who supported him even if they could not be present. He reassured everyone that after 7 September, when the leadership election result comes out, the PN will emerge stronger and more united. He said both candidates ultimately share the same goal: to rebuild the party and to serve the people. Unity will follow, he declared, because what drives them both is not rivalry but the wish to improve the Nationalist Party.

The evening showed Adrian speaking to Gozitans from the heart, blending humour with gravity. Turning to the challenges that define life in Gozo, he connected with the crowd on local culture: ferries that do not serve workers, roads that crumble, hospitals that remain unfinished. He treated the tesserati not as mere voters but as the party's lifeblood. He reminded them they carry the responsibility to steer the PN into a future where Gozo no longer stands forgotten.

As the crowd dispersed, the message was obvious. Adrian's leadership campaign in Gozo is not only about control. It is about reclaiming a voice for Gozitans who feel sidelined, a voice for tesserati who deserve respect, and a voice for a party that must rise from division. Adrian Delia pledged to give that voice strength, and on that August evening at 'Maxtura', many walked away convinced he meant it.