The Nationalist Party’s secretary-general Clyde Puli has warned corruption critics opposed to PN leader Adrian Delia that their harsh words against him are only helping out the Labour government.

“Those people who think they are taking part in some great fight against the government’s corruption by attacking the PN are strategically misinformed,” Puli said in an interview with The Malta Independent. “They are shooting themselves in the foot and have no idea what they’re doing. If they want to fight against the government’s corruption, then they must strengthen the Nationalist Party. If they don’t support the PN, then they will automatically be giving an advantage to the PL and therefore need an examination of conscience.”

He dismissed concerns that the Partit Demokratiku could eat into the PN’s voters, arguing the PD has “minimal relevance” – as reflected by its dismal showings in the polls.

PN secretary general Clyde Puli during an interview with The Malta Independent

Delia has been in the line of fire of supporters of late journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia ever since she claimed last year that he had helped laundered money from a Soho prostitution ring in the early 2000s.

The wounds have failed to heal since the journalist’s assassination, with Caruana Galizia’s family informing the PN leader that he was not welcome at pro-justice protests.

Caruana Galizia’s supporters have also repeatedly criticised Delia for not focusing strongly enough on issues related to corruption and good governance.

Questioned on this, Puli insisted the PN is as committed to good governance as it has ever been but has made a strategic decision to focus more heavily on bread-and-butter issues.

“If we only speak about theories and single issues, we will throw ourselves into an abyss of irrelevance,” he warned. “I believe the majority of people dislike corruption but don’t think political parties should focus solely on that issue, which is why the PN as now started speaking about issues like rent and poverty.”

What do you make of Clyde Puli’s warning?

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Tim Diacono

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]