Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/904009
maltatoday SUNDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2017 Interview 15 Newly-elected PN council president KRISTY DEBONO acknowledges that the Nationalist Party is undergoing a period of internal strife. But beneath the veneer of angry dissent, she also sees an Opposition that is passing through an entirely normal process of renewal deceiving to me, it was a lack of profession- alism on the BBC's part. It's not Busuttil's fault, still less Delia's... Perhaps, but there is a reason they made that mistake. Busuttil is still playing the part of Opposition leader. And on a separate note, there are probably thousands of traditional PN supporters who likewise do not really recognise Delia as their party's new leader. Do you not get this impression yourself... for instance, from the cold reception Delia got at the Sliema vigil after Daphne's murder? That some people might not have appreciated Delia's presence at the vigil is one thing. That there is a level of discontent at Delia as party leader, among a lot of peo- ple... that's a fact as well. Just as, had he lost the leadership election, there would have been thousands of Nationalists equally unhappy with the result. This is completely normal. I'm not surprised at all. Let's turn to the state of the PN as a whole, with or without Delia as leader. It is a widely known fact that the PN is some 20 million euros in debt; and a breakdown of the figures shows that 6 million euros are owed in unpaid social security contributions. So isn't the party (of which you are now council president) somewhat poorly placed to be talking about 'good governance' and 'the rule of law'? I'm not sure how true that is. I've only been council president for a week, and I haven't even met the rest of the party administration yet. I can't comment on the pre- cise facts and figures... But you've been an active member of the PN for years. Don't you have an opinion about it? Shouldn't the PN clean up its own mess, before talking about 'good governance'? I'm not avoiding the question. Let me put it this way: if the PN, when in government, gave itself a property like Australia Hall as a present – like Labour did – then yes, it would be in no position to talk about 'good governance'. But this didn't happen. In 25 years of government, the PN could very easily have taken the easy way out... But that's not what I'm asking. It's a question of the PN being technically in a state of illegality. It is illegal not to pay your employees' NI contributions. When lesser mortals break the law, they face consequences. When political parties do the same thing, they don't. How do you justify that, in the context of a debate about 'rule of law'? I cannot answer that. Whenever I ask about the party's financial situation, I am told there is a fi- nancial plan in place, and we are implementing that plan... But that doesn't absolve the party of the state of illegality it is in today. Are we to understand that the 'rule of law' is something that applies to everyone but the PN? No, I disagree with you com- pletely. I think it's a very unfair comment. We can't say the rule of law is not being followed, if there are agreements in place to pay off the debt. That would be to mis- lead your readership. But that the rule of law does not apply to the country as a whole... that's some- thing we can say with certainty. Everywhere you go, you hear peo- ple saying they have lost faith in the institutions... we have given up on them, because there is no rule of law... that is a state of fact. The Opposition is a national institution as well. Do you think there is a lot of faith in today's Opposition? I think there is faith in it, yes: and there is hope that the party will continue unifying itself and strengthening, so that it can offer a real alternative government for the country. That there is a level of discontent at Delia as party leader, among a lot of people... that's a fact. Just as, had he lost the leadership election, there would have been thousands of Nationalists equally unhappy with the result. This is completely normal. I'm not surprised at all DISCONTENT