[attach id=250078 size="medium"]Nationalist Party leadership candidate Francis Zammit Dimech. Photo: Jason Borg[/attach]
Nationalist Party leadership candidate Francis Zammit Dimech yesterday recalled the SMS he received from then Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi at the start of the last legislature informing him he would not be reappointed as minister.
During a lunch meeting with the press, Dr Zammit Dimech was asked whether he felt he was part of the “clique”, which is often accused of having sidelined others during the PN administration.
Laughing off the question, he said: “How could I feel like part of the clique after that SMS?... if there even was a clique.”
The text message to former ministers who were not reappointed to Cabinet made headlines in 2008, signalling the start of backbench unrest that characterised the rest of the legislature.
Dr Zammit Dimech, who replaced Tonio Borg as Foreign Affairs Minister in the last few months of the legis-lature, was one of the sidelined former ministers who remained loyal to Dr Gonzi throughout.
How could I feel part of a clique after that SMS?
Speaking to journalists yesterday during an informal lunch, Dr Zammit Dimech said it was important for the PN to become “more inclusive” and open itself widely to whoever wanted to give a contribution.
Asked about the divorce debate, Dr Zammit Dimech recalled arguing against its introduction, specifying he did not feel the time was ripe. However, once the referendum was held, he advised his party to ensure all MPs voted in favour during the third reading of the law in Parliament. “Unfortunately, this did not happen,” he said.
Dr Zammit Dimech also stressed the importance of developing a strong relationship with the media, admitting that the relationship between the media and the previous Government was at times “strained”.
He described the PN leadership contest as “very open” and said there was also less rivalry than the Labour leadership contest in 2008.
Although he is not considered to be a favourite for the role of leadership, Dr Zammit Dimech said that despite Simon Busuttil’s “historic” result during the deputy leadership contest, “a lot has changed since then”.
He said he threw his name in the hat out of a sense of duty and to give councillors choice.