Carmel Cacopardo severed his ties with the Nationalist Party after 30 years on the same day Alternattiva Demokratika appointed him spokesman for sustainable development.

In a letter sent to PN general secretary Joe Saliba, dated January 16 but e-mailed to the media over the weekend, the former assistant audit officer at the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (Mepa) had strong words of criticism for the party he had served for so many years.

"When I joined the PN, I had no problem identifying myself with the party. However, lately, I've been making an effort to establish whether it's the same party I joined in the 1970s.

"I've reached the conclusion that, if I had to choose today, I wouldn't join," he wrote.

He spoke of the PN's attempt to hush things up when people acted incorrectly, while he encountered obstacles and a million and one excuses when it came to continuing his work within Mepa.

"The real reason (for this) is never mentioned: That intolerance against criticism and those who think independently has emerged. Whoever does not tolerate string-pulling is continually being sidelined," Mr Cacopardo said.

He added that it was useless mentioning names since the information has been available in the public domain for months.

Mr Cacopardo said that in the circumstances, he felt he no longer had a place within the PN and was resigning with immediate effect.

Mr Cacopardo was a Nationalist Party candidate in three general elections, namely in 1987, 1992 and 1996, and sat on the PN's executive council for 12 years occupying the posts of information secretary, assistant general secretary and president of the administration council.