The Nationalist Party may be broke but is not broken, party deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami said this evening in reference to the financial difficulties the PN was facing.
He said that since the new administration took over five months ago, a lot had been done and many decisions were taken to rebuild the party and reorganise it. "The foundations are in place to build the party from scratch and it can now look to the future with optimism," he said.
He was speaking at a dialogue meeting on the Granaries in Floriana during the party's celebrations marking the 49th anniversary of Malta's independence.
"We had the courage to admit our mistakes but we must now have the courage to renew the party and make sure that it reflects people's aspirations. There is also the financial challenge. We may be broke but we are not broken," he told party supporters.
Dr Fenech Adami said the party's message to the Labour Party in Government was that it was mistaken if it thought it could steam roll over the Nationalist Party because they will find a strong party in Opposition.
This message was echoed by party leader Simon Busuttil who said that the challenges the party was facing "will only make it stronger". He said the party was aiming to win the next general election and was already preparing for this. But before facing the country's challenges, it had to face its internal struggles.
He said there was unity within the Parliamentary Group, adding that the party's doors were open to everyone as long as the party's interests won over any personal ambition, clearly referring to the internal problems the party had in recent years with former rebel MP Franco Debono, who repeatedly voted against the previous government and against his own party.
This evening's meeting was also addressed by several MEP candidates as well as former PN MPs Michael Refalo, Richard Muscat and Sandy Cachia Zammit. The latter urged the party administration not to sideline those thousands who voted for the party and how it had to rely more on people who were loyal to their principles.
MEP David Casa said independence was the most important celebration for the party and for the country. He took at a dig at Labour MEP candidate Alfred Sant who had urged people not to vote for EU membership and had warned that Malta would be irrelevant in Europe.
MEP Roberta Metsola said the Nationalist Party must use its time in opposition to renew itself and become again the voice of the people, of those who are being discriminated against by this Government.
Addressing the party followers, she said that the Nationalist Party did not exist in a vacuum. “We must keep in mind that this Labour Government is meant to be addressing all those issues (Prime Minister) Joseph Muscat promised before the election. There was a plan and roadmap for everything and now, six months later, we see that there was nothing,” she said.
Referring to next year's European Parliament elections, Dr Metsola said: “We must continue to work to get the very best result in this election, so as to ensure proper representation in the European People's Party - the largest political grouping in the European Parliament. We must become again the voice of the people.”
“It is time to update our politics and our policies, we made mistakes in Government but we must learn from these mistakes, roll up our sleeves and address the challenges we are facing,” she added.