Former minister and PN General Secretary Louis Galea has confirmed that Eddie Fenech Adami confronted him in 1997 over talk of a push for a change of party leadership after the 1996 electoral defeat, but he denied he was behind it.

Reacting to comments made by Dr Fenech Adami in his autobiography, Dr Galea said that on September 8, 1997, Dr Fenech Adami called him at his office at PN headquarters to ask him whether he was behind any move for a change in the party leadership.

"I categorically denied this and informed him that isolated voices had been mooting the issue. Some weeks before I had been approached by an individual, whose name I shared with Eddie, who had raised the prospect with me. I listened but did not encourage or entertain the idea in any way," Dr Galea said.

Dr Fenech Adami told him that his assessment was that the Sant government was already running into difficulties and that the PN had to be prepared to face a general election in the near future.

Dr Galea said he agreed with that assessment.

Dr Galea said that change seemed to be an irresistible part of his make-up. But saying that in 1997 he was leading the talk about a need for change was not correct.

"Taking a critical stance of all that goes around me, including what Eddie said and did, is one thing. But my loyalty to his leadership ought never to be put in doubt," Dr Galea said. 

Dr Fenech Adami in his autobiography said he had assumed “full responsibility” for the 1996 defeat, and his initial reaction was to step down. Several friends urged him to reconsider, not least the late Fr Peter Serracino Inglott, and after receiving an overwhelming vote of confidence at the general council, he stayed on.

Some weeks later, he learnt that some people within the party, “principally Louis Galea”, were talking about a need for change.