Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/858250
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 6 AUGUST 2017 3 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K News MATTHEW AGIUS SIMON Busuttil should give up his seat in parliament, Nationalist MP Mario Galea has said on his Face- book page. With the PN soon to elect a new leader in September, Galea seems to have broken ranks and gone the whole hog in saying that while Busuttil was entitled to remain an MP, leaving parliament altogether was the right thing to do when a new leader takes the helm. Galea, a former parliamentary secretary for the elderly under the Gonzi administration, said Busut- til's continued presence in parlia- ment would cast a shadow on any new leader. He praised former Prime Min- ister and PN leader Lawrence Gonzi's decision to immediately give up his seat after his resignation from the party leadership in 2013. Galea's post seems to depict the party as riven by discontent and simmering resentment as its Gen- eral Council approaches the date to elect two of four candidates for the post, before they face a popu- lar vote by all 22,000 paid-up party members. Under a new PN leader, the par- liamentary group "could not afford to continue to be a rubber stamp, as it unfortunately ended up many times under Simon Busuttil," Galea's tirade continued. He said that the party leader must listen to what the group had to say before taking positions, surely a reference to Busuttil's stand on gay marriage before parliament went into recess. "The parliamentary group should not discuss an issue after the party has already taken a public position on it," Galea said, mentioning how Nationalist MPs had found out about the coali- tion with the Partit Demokratiku through the media. He said he believed that issues of conscience should always be the subject of a free vote. "I'm no saint, indeed I'm a sinner, but I gave the party my life. I'm not prepared to also give it my soul." He then said that crucial posts such as that of PN secretary-gener- al must be "elected not imposed", criticizing the appointment of Rosette Thake to the position as an imposition by the party leader, when "other very valid people wanted to contest at the time but were ordered not to." "Despite her hard work, hon- esty and all her good intentions, of which I am convinced, the shoe doesn't fit her. She had no idea about political strategy and much less about general elections." Galea said the party had to work to bring back into the fold individ- uals who had held important posts with the party in the past and who had been turned away under Bu- suttil's leadership. "The Labour Party brought eve- ryone in. We, on the other hand, threw people away. We opened the doors of the Stamperija in the hope of letting people back in and instead they ended up leaving." Whilst he maintained that he re- spected Busuttil for his hard work, Galea said he disagreed with "the authoritarian style of his leader- ship," saying he felt that Busuttil wasn't open to differing opinions. Busuttil "should shut up and stop taking important decisions" that will bind his successor, Galea added. The MP said he had been "hid- den and sidelined" for the past four years after a quarter of a century of service to the party, while Busuttil's leadership had spawned a clique of "gods" whom he got on well with. "Prima Donnas are useful for operas, not in politics," Galea said. He encouraged the PN to re- adopt its original values or lose its core vote. "A party without a di- rection will find no shelter in any port." magius@mediatoday.com.mt 'Simon must shut up and go': MP Mario Galea lets rip on Facebook Nationalist MP says Simon Busuttil should cede parliamentary seat and "shut up and stop taking important decisions" that will bind his successor SAVIOUR BALZAN THE PN's leadership candidate Adrian Delia is not simply a liti- gation lawyer, but has involved himself in various property and business companies, a preliminary research into his company involve- ments show. Delia has not yet opened himself up to PN voters by declaring his assets after Nationalist MP Chris Said put forward his own declara- tions in the first weeks of the lead- ership campaign. Interestingly, Delia appears as a minority shareholder with PN leader Simon Busuttil's former brother-in-law, Eucharist Ba- jada Jnr in the company Frankef Limited, and as director with him in the company Chris, Nicholas & Associ- ates Company Lim- ited. Delia is also a shareholder with Ba- jada senior in Patience Developments Limited. Bajada was formerly the husband of Busuttil's sister Diane, the fractious couple having made the headlines last year in a public alter- cation. Bajada had called the police after alleging his ex-wife had broken into his house, together with her father, beating up his 60-year-old maid and stealing files and computers, before attacking him and a lady friend of his as they arrived home. Her parting shot was throwing a large potted plant on his Mercedes. Later in court, the two sides agreed to bury the hatchet. Adrian Delia is also involved with Mgarr Developments Ltd as a shareholder and di- rector together with Aequitas Legal part- ner Georg Sapiano, and the Gozitan company Island Developments Ltd, also involved in construction. Delia has admitted on TVM's Xtra Sajf that he was involved as a 9% shareholder in a company that was limited to a redevelopment project. Delia is also involved with his wife Nicole and Tonio Debono in Carnaby Limited, a company deal- ing with the importation of high quality wines. Adrian Delia has so far commit- ted to make a declaration of assets only if he is elected. A partner in the legal firm Aequitas with for- mer PN candidate Georg Sapiano, the predecessor firm Sapiano & Associates had received some €890,000 in legal contracts by successive PN administrations ac- cording to parliamentary answers. One of the major awards by direct order was linked to a new pro- posed route system for the public bus company Arriva – the con- tract was worth €333,000. "I have not been elected to a lead- ership position yet and have not been in public office to date," De- lia had told MaltaToday. "In prep- aration for my possible election, I am working on a divestiture of my professional and commercial in- terests that will come into effect as soon as, and if, I am elected. If that occurs, I shall make the appropri- ate declaration at once and shall disclose the terms of sale." Delia a partner with Busuttil's ex-brother in law Mario Galea: Rosette Thake had "no idea about political strategy and much less about general elections" Co-shareholder: Company records show Adrian Delia is a minority shareholder in businesses owned by Eucharist Bajada