WATCH: Ian Borg Gives Roaring Endorsement To Chris Fearne: ‘He Promised Me Nothing But I’m Promising Him My Support’
Transport Minister Ian Borg has urged Labour members to vote for Chris Fearne at next week’s leadership election, stating that the deputy Prime Minister will provide a sense of continuity from Joseph Muscat and warning that the time isn’t right to “experiment”.
At a political rally last night, Borg dismissed concerns, which he claimed are coming from “Nationalists and newspapers”, that the Labour Party’s parliamentary group and Cabinet have rallied behind Fearne because of secret promises he has made them.
“When I saw those attacks on Chris Fearne, I told myself that I had made the right decision because I’d have been worried if those people were praising him,” he said. “The Nationalists are saying that the parliamentary group and Cabinet are only behind Chris Fearne because he’s promising everything to everyone.”
“Don’t get offended, Chris, but I’ve only given to you. I’ve given you my support and I don’t imagine you can increase my responsibilities, I don’t want you to! He’s promised me nothing but I’m promising him my support to convince people to vote for him.”
According to reports, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had originally approved of a deal that would have seen Fearne succeed him as Prime Minister, Borg become deputy Prime Minister and Abela become deputy leader for party affairs.
However, the plan fell apart when Abela announced that he was contesting the leadership himself and that he wasn’t ready to participate in a diabolical pact.
In his speech last night, Borg recounted how Fearne had endorsed Joseph Muscat before he was elected PL leader in 2008 and said the deputy Prime Minister will provide continuity during a time of turbulence for Malta.
“Let’s not fall into the Nationalists’ trap. Chris Fearne means continuity from Joseph Muscat in all the good that we have carried out. Chris Fearne is a Labourite like us. Now is not the time to experiment; the day after the election, the new Prime Minister will have to enter his office and start making decisions.
Borg said that PL MPs, ministers and parliamentary secretaries have a right to voice their opinions about the leadership race and pledged not to be afraid of “Nationalist fake profiles who tell me to leave it up the members”.
“I’m a member, I’ve been a member since my youth, and I decided to take [my party activism] a step further, so I have a right to speak my mind. As ministers, we must work with the PM from morning till evening so we should express our opinions.”
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