David Casa is endorsed by three former PN leaders

David Casa has vowed to honour the legacy of the three Nationalist Party leaders before Adrian Delia as he submitted his candidature for the European parliament election.

Casa’s nomination was endorsed by Eddie Fenech Adami, Lawrence Gonzi and Simon Busuttil.

In comments released after filing the nomination on Monday at the Naxxar counting hall, Casa thanked the former leaders for “their support, guidance and friendship” and vowed to honour their legacy in his work.

The statement made no mention of current PN leader Adrian Delia.

Casa’s rallying call will be “I am on your side”, in a campaign that is likely to focus on government corruption and bad governance.

The veteran PN MEP insisted that the interests of corrupt politicians were diametrically opposed to those of the people.

“Corruption is theft from honest hard working people. After they were caught red handed, they abused of their power and captured our institutions. Institutions meant to protect honest citizens are now protecting corrupt politicians. My job is to defend the people, to be on their side. That is exactly what I have done and what I will continue to do if I am re-elected,” Casa said.

He said that he will work toward more EU supervisory powers on money laundering and for the creation of structures that could effectively handle investigations into international corruption.

Casa referred to a new EU directive he piloted to increase paternal leave, adding that economic growth should not be an end in itself.

“The rights of employees must increase alongside economic progress,” Casa said.