Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said this evening that the PN did not expect to overturn Labour’s big majority in the April 11 local elections, but the expectation was that it would show that it was ‘back in business’.

Dr Busuttil was speaking during a fund-raising marathon at PN headquarters.

He said the Nationalist Party wanted to show it could make a difference in the people’s lives even in Opposition, and by the time the general election came about, it would also show it was a new, different party and a ready alternative government.

He said an example of how the PN was making a difference was how the council elections would be held on their due date, even though the prime minister had wanted to postpone them.

Another example was the pressure which the PN successfully brought to bear for the government to reduce fuel prices.

It had also been the one which revealed the truth in the shooting incident involving the driver of former minister Manuel Mallia, eventually leading to the minister’s dismissal.

Once people could see how the PN made a difference in Opposition, they would trust it in government.

The PN, he said, had a proud history but it needed to be dynamic. Many people within it had changed. The shadow cabinet had been changed, policies were being changed, new candidates were coming forward – almost half of the local council candidates were new, he said.

He said he wanted to forge politics based on honesty and he criticised the prime minister for making allegations which did not result in anything. It was unacceptable, he said, that the prime minister was told of alleged wrongdoings, and things were kept under wraps in order to be used in electoral campaigns.

He wanted actions which inspired confidence in politics and politicians, Dr Busuttil said.