Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/835410
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 11 JUNE 2017 5 entity, and has been succeeded by another far-right European party, the Movement for a Europe of Nations and Freedom, without Wilders's PVV because it does not want to take European funds. So the MENL is just the Front Na- tional, the FPÖ, and Lega Nord. Nothing could be more contra- dictory than the views of Labour's current leadership and those of Ellul Bonici's EAF. Labour leader Joseph Muscat recently said his vision is to have a more cosmo- politan society in Malta. In War- saw recently, Ellul Bonici stood by the side of Korwin-Mikke during the 'Freedom March' where he called out to attendees to "stop the Islamic invasion and save Eu- rope from being led to catastro- phe by EU socialists". Ellul Bonici's husband Kevin El- lul-Bonici also worked for UKIP in Brussels, but in 2015 he was linked to the 'Red Dalia' scandal, when controversial biographies of Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė were left in the pi- geon-holes of MEPs in an attempt to smear her reputation. mvella@mediatoday.com.mt Above: Ellul Bonici speaks on the dangers of the EU in a Polish rally in October 2016 with MEP Janusz Korwin-Mikke The right view: inside the Auberge de Castille, where EAF secretary- generla Sharon Ellul Bonici celebrated Labour's victory Source: Facebook closed Robert Arrigo & Sons Ltd as one of my principals went bust? Should I not use my boat ever be- cause once the engines stopped in the middle of the sea? All answers you will find in the lyrics of Frank Sinatra's song 'My Way'." Arrigo acknowledged that some things could have been done dif- ferently, but said that to criticise after the fact is easy. "Yes the PN needs tweaking and this can only be positive. The seeds are sown. Taking the seeds off and starting from scratch is definitely a no go," he appealed to Busuttil. "With serenity, let's all look at the bigger objective." Prof. Mary Ann Lauri, social psy- chologist and University of Malta lecturer, signed an online petition calling on Busuttil to stay on as leader of the PN. In a post on Facebook, she said people should not judge Busut- til through the lens of those who did not vote for him. "He is a good leader fighting a difficult cause," she wrote. "Those who expected him not to speak about corruption are accomplices to corruption." David Griscti, who chairs the PN's think tank AZAD, also called for Busuttil to reconsider his deci- sion to resign. "Simon is the most honest, genu- ine and gentle politician I have ever met," he posted. "Strategy and focus need changing, image needs polishing, but the leader is the right one." Former PN executive presi- dent and MP Frank Portelli, too, pitched in. "If at first you don't succeed... TRY AGAIN SIMON," he wrote. Writing in The Malta Independ- ent on Friday, Claudette Buttigieg – who served as shadow health minister in the previous admin- istration – said that Busuttil had managed to make it possible 'to be cool to be a Nationalist again'. "He went from a party leader to a truly inspiring national leader. He brought back hope to the party grassroots but, even more, to the country," she wrote. "He managed to mobilise the country and grew in stature with every day that went by." Buttigieg said that even all that was not enough and that a lot more work was needed, but she insisted that Busuttil was not to blame for that. "I am privileged and honoured to have worked with him and I will cherish the past four years," she said. "However, in this given mo- ment, in these circumstances, I honestly don't see anybody replac- ing him. He has not finished what he started." Former PN assistant secretary- general Jean Pierre Debono, one of the PN's two newly-elected MPs, also lent his support to Busuttil. "Simon Busuttil must stay on as PN leader. That is the cry on eve- rybody's lips. I fully support Simon Busuttil as leader of the PN," he said on Facebook. Net TV journalist and presenter Frank Psaila said that the party should have the strength to take a long-term approach and see it through. "Success does not depend on quick fixes," he wrote on Face- book. "Quiet competence rather than headline-grabbing promi- nence is key to success." He proposed a petition calling for the PN to agree to a two-tier effort before electing a new leader- ship team – setting up a panel of experts to analyse changes in soci- ety and the population to help the PN better understand the needs and aspirations of people, and launching a broad dialogue with all sectors of society to get true input and feedback. Many a common man and wom- an have joined MPs and politicians in calling on Simon Busuttil to re- main PN leader, citing various rea- sons for the choice – varying from the lack of qualified candidates, to Busuttil's character and the great- er good of the party and country. But one petitioner in particular stood out. She – Tessie Cassar – said she supports Simon Busuttil. The reason? He's her neighbour. pcocks@mediatoday.com.mt 2018 has been chosen as the European Year of Cultural Heritage. We have allocated funds to celebrate our diversity and cultural richness in order to strengthen a sense of European Identity in all of us. YOU ASKED US TO EMBRACE CULTURE AND DIVERSITY WE DELIVERED Putting you at the heart of Europe News Busuttil made it possible to be cool to be a Nationalist again - Claudette Buttigieg MP