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Delia In Or Out? PN Youths Split On Whether Their Leader Should Be Removed

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Executive members of the Nationalist Party’s youth wing MŻPN have come out on different sides of the fence with regards an internal petition calling for a vote on the resignation of leader Adrian Delia.

MŻPN president Joseph Grech confirmed he has signed the petition, insisting that responsibility must be shouldered for the PN’s disastrous results at last month’s elections.

“We need to ask ourselves the inevitable question. Is the party in its current state, credible and electable?” Grech questioned. “We can either choose to ignore the reality of the situation and risk destroying the P.N. forever, or we can choose to stand up to be counted and strive to have a credible and electable party once again. That time is now.”

MŻPN secretary general Emma Portelli Bonnici similarly said the time has come to face reality before it’s too late.

“We need to ensure that we have a valid, credible Opposition,” she said. “Where others refuse to make change happen, we must step up. We cannot keep ignoring the writing on the wall.”

“This is why I will be backing the petition calling for a vote of confidence in the Nationalist Party’s General Council, and I urge you to do the same.”

Social media officer Amy Camilleri said that, while she had backed Delia during the 2017 leadership campaign, the time has now come for drastic change.

“It is young people’s responsibility to make sure that the party renews itself and leads by example at all times,” she said. “That means taking strong decisions when they become necessary.”

However, Gżira councillor Jeremy Cardona, who is also a member of the MŻPN executive, took a very different stance.

“I don’t want to be a puppet of Adrian Delia, nor of any MP who lights fires, hides his hand and then watches and waits to see who will get burned for his sake,” he said. “Ever since I got involved in the PN, my aim has always been to see the party grow strong and capable of representing as wide a spectrum as possible of Maltese society.”

“Although I’ve made certain complaints and suggestions internally and disagreed with certain decisions, we are all human at the end of the day and no one is perfect. I didn’t feel it was right to sign a declaration that would see only one person take the blame.”

“Adrian Delia has managed to remain strong despite all the currents against him, let alone how strong we can be if we unite as a party. I will only sign to build bridges and not walls, because we are all one family which loves its nation.”

Over 150 signatures have been collected in recent days, calling on the General Council to hold a secret vote of confidence in Delia. The critics are making use of a barely-used clause within the PN statute which obliges the General Council to deliberate any proposal which is back by at least 150 of its members.

The Council is the highest organ of the PN and, while it doesn’t have the power to depose Delia, a vote of no confidence will send a strong message to the leader.

READ NEXT: Dethroning A King: Adrian Delia Cannot Be Forced Out But PN Vote Will Test Him Like Never Before

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]

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