Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1536520
5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 18 JUNE 2025 NEWS PN has to offer vision which builds on country's success of recent years THE Nationalist Party is yet to convince the electorate, and the prob- lem could lie in not having the team to promote its vision, University lecturer George Vital Zammit said on Monday. "What does the party stand for? These are the existential questions that everyone is asking. Why does the PN exist? People are asking this question," Vital Zammit said on TVM's XTRA. He is tasked with drawing up the PN's electoral programme for the upcoming general election. He was speaking on XTRA hosted by Saviour Balzan, together with Nation- alist MEP Peter Agius and PN Deputy Leader Alex Perici Calascione. They discussed ongoing development sur- rounding the PN. "In my view, the PN needs to have a vision which bases itself on the sustain- ability of our country and our econo- my. We need to build on the success- es of this country," he said. "I am also worried that the parties have the fol- low the polls. We need to have political leaders that leads and goes against the grain when he or she needs to." However, Vital Zammit admitted the polls were game changers and could set the agenda for all political parties. Na- tionalist leader Bernard Grech resigned following a MaltaToday survey which showed the PN trailing by around 38,000 votes. Vital Zammit blamed the lack of decision-making in the PN lead- ership on the party not having an end game. "Once there is a discussion there needs to be a clear decision." When MEP Peter Agius was asked what the new party leader's profile should look like, he insisted he should be a good communicator, saying he should be a prime minister in waiting. Deputy leader Alex Perici Calascione would not be drawn into whether the new leader should be a fresh face or a veteran. Opinion and labour leaning com- mentator Chris Cilia argued that the Labour Party has a more homogenous structure unlike the PN. He said that the PN had a mixture of ultra conserv- ative constituents and very progressive liberals. KARL AZZOPARDI kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt University lecturer George Vital Zammit (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday) University lecturer George Vital Zammit says Nationalist Party needs the team to promote its vision, stating it is yet to convince the electorate CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Bonnici clarified that the private de- velopers will only build the part of the land that they own and the new road will be built to give access to the devel- opment. When it was pointed out that the developer's plot of land already has access to two existing roads, Bonnici simply stated the government will not give up its land to the developer. The lands minister said the issue is not a matter of "do-or-die," adding that he is open to meeting with the farmers who till the land again. Last month, MaltaToday revealed that the plot of land belonging to the developer who wants to build the road is partly owned by Labour Party veter- an and former EU Commissioner Kar- menu Vella. When contacted, Vella had distanced himself from the controversial zoning application, clarifying that he did not apply for the zoning permit. The application was filed in 2022 on behalf of Francis Spiteri, who owns Tal-Karmnu Construction Company. Vella had said that whether or not the road is constructed is of no interest to him. "It makes no difference. Whatev- er is on that government land does not affect me," he had said. Interestingly, an ownership map sub- mitted to the Planning Authority on 6 June 2025 by the developer bore the signature of notary Mario Bugeja. In January this year, Bugeja was accused of money laundering in relation to the sale of an apartment in Birżebbuġa by Yorgen Fenech to the former head of the police's anti-money laundering unit, Ray Aquilina. Aquilina was also charged. Bugeja and Aquilina pleaded not guilty and the case against them is on- going. Bonnici defends controversial road project on public farmland The issue concerns a proposed residential development on a private plot of land and a request by one of the developers to have a new road built through a government-owned field in an area known as Tal-Bebbux.