The PN leadership contest has already started to reflect a growing “sense of unity” within the party since all four contestants carried out campaigns based on mutual respect, candidate Mario de Marco said today.
Speaking during a press conference held to give an overview of his campaign as leadership candidate, Dr de Marco said that whoever was elected would have to be a leader who unified the party.
“Over the past five years the PN paid a price for its lack of unity,” he said as he called on PN councillors to trust that they would pick the right man to lead the party.
He said he believed that all four contestants had a lot to offer. Whoever was elected had to “hit the ground running” as the first 100 days will be crucial in terms of addressing urgent needs.
First on the priority list was the need to address the PN’s financial situation. He spoke about separating the commercial and political aspects of the party and set up an expert team to tackle the financial problems following consultation with employees.
It was important to ensure there was room for creativity in coming up with relevant policies that reflected the population’s needs and diversity. The PN’s politics had to represent all young people and cater for vulnerable people, he said.
The party’s media companies also had to be creative and use the fact that the PN was in Opposition to tap into new audiences.
“I would like to see a change in how we think, act and talk about politics,” he said.
Dr de Marco stressed on the need to strengthen the party structures and give more weight to councillors and their roles.
“Above all we must be a strong, credible and serious Opposition that holds the PL Government accountable to delivering its electoral promises and ensures it is truly acting in the national interest and not just in the interest of a few,” he said.
Dr de Marco said that within a year the party will be facing the MEP elections and should not “rest on its laurels” and assume people would vote PN because it steered Malta towards EU accession.
MEP candidates and the themes used in the MEP campaign should be identified as soon as possible.
Asked by journalists about the PN’s refusal to form part of the PL Government’s “action team” he said that one had to keep in mind that the role of the Opposition was to scrutinise and hold Government accountable and not be “in bed” with Government.
However, he said, there were instances of national importance when the two sides should cooperate.