PN Leader’s Supporters Give Stark Warning To Rebels: ‘Get In Line Or Get Out’
Several supporters of Adrian Delia have warned party ‘rebels’ that they must leave the party if they keep on putting spokes in the wheel of the Opposition leader.
Speaking to Lovin Malta moments after Delia won a confidence vote at the PN General Council, supporters made it clear where they stand.
“Min mhux magħna kontra tagħna (Those who aren’t with us are against us),” two women said. “Delia will stay and we will certainly win the election.”
An elderly lady said, straight and plain, that the rebels must pack their bags and get out of the party while an elderly man said he believes the rebels are controlled by Occupy Justice, the pressure group set up to demand justice for murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
One supporter described the supporters as opportunists, while another urged Delia to strip rebels of any roles they might hold within the party.
“Jason Azzopardi represents the PN at the Council of Europe; if it were up to me, I’d fire him from that role,” he argued.
Another supporter took a more lenient stance towards the rebels, stating they must be given time to come around, while a woman by his side added that they must leave the party if they keep on trying to force Dalia out.
One particularly verbose supporter said the rebels should get out as soon as possible.
“It’s like being in a marriage where your wife is cheating on you,” he said.
One man argued that the PN needs to get rid of people damaging it from within if it is to have any hope of reviving itself, stating that Labour started winning elections after it got rid of some of its bad apples.
Only a few supporters referred to Adrian Delia’s message that the party must unite and to his invitation to the rebels to work within the party.
“Delia said he isn’t getting rid of people,” one of them noted.
A few supporters warned directly, and others implied, that the PN is not functioning as an Opposition. One of these made reference to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who himself said it is important that the country has a well-functioning Opposition, a statement that others by his side agreed with.
Adrian Delia addresses his supporters after winning a vote of confidence
Two well-known party insiders who are affiliated with Delia’s supporters gave different perspectives of the situation.
One of them said the General Council result, which saw Delia secure 68% of the councillors’ votes, exceeded expectations given the amount of turbulence within the party.
“No PN leader has ever had to face this level of friction,” he said, while predicting that the situation will calm down in the coming months.
As for those people within the PN who continue opposing Delia, he forecasted that they will realise by themselves that their place might not belong in the party.
However, another warned that the result will lead to a dangerous situation where both sides, those in favour and those against Delia, will claim some sort of victory.
“Those in favour will be able to point to his victory tonight, while those against will be able to state that a third of the General Council are against him,” he said.
Adrian Delia's supporters celebrate after the PN leader wins a vote of confidence
Indeed, the petitioners who invoked the confidence vote have responded to Delia’s victory by urging the PN leader to understand that a substantial part of his own party, not to mention the Maltese electorate, are yet to be convinced by him.
“It must be him who effects change and takes the necessary decisions to win over the faith of this faction of people, without whom the party can not achieve its goals,” they said.
Delia won the confidence vote after securing some 68% of the vote at the PN General Council, but the petitioners interpreted the result as proof that a significant section of the party’s own councillors oppose the leader.
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