[WATCH] Alex Perici Calascione: ‘PN’s improved polling should be attributed to Bernard Grech’

Nationalist Party deputy leader Alex Perici Calascione says voters understand there is a need for radical change in the country’s governance.

Sitting down for an interview with MaltaToday as the political season begins to heat up, the Nationalist deputy leader says the party is keeping its feet to the ground despite political surveys showing a constant improvement in performance.

On the other hand, party leader Bernard Grech has constantly showed poor performance in MaltaToday’s Trust Barometer.

Skirting around questions on whether he feels a change in leadership would make the PN a better political force to challenge Labour for government, Perici Calascione says the party’s advancement in the polls, the European Parliament and local council elections, should be attributed to Grech.

“You could or could not like him, but his effect as a leader is reflected in the bigger support the PN now enjoys,” he says.

Last September the PN had announced former MP Karl Gouder would be replacing Michael Piccinino as Secretary General. But Gouder tragically died days later, leaving the PN with a strategic headache on who to appoint.

While still reeling from Gouder’s sudden death, the PN deputy leader says the party must look forward as the role “is not only important for the party but for the country.”

“The decision has to be taken in the context of what the country expects from us as a party,” he says.

With the week’s headlines dominated by changes to the Villa Rosa local plan, the PN deputy leader flat out denies ever meeting with Anton Camilleri Tal-Franciz, the developer behind the proposed project.

He also insists it is wrong for government to try and circumvent public consultation on the proposed changes.

Asked about the PN’s financial situation, Perici Calascione says it has improved over the years. He also says the party has been given another extension by the Electoral Commission to file its 2021 audited accounts.

He says the accounts have been handed over to the party’s auditor and once approved will be handed over to the Electoral Commission.

The follow is an excerpt of the interview. 

Watch the full interview also on Facebook and Spotify.

Before the tragic death of Karl Gouder, he was set to contest the role of secretary general, but now, without sounding insensitive, from a political perspective the PN has a headache. How have you handled this, and do you have someone lined up for this important role?

While we have public roles, the personal element is something we live through every day. We feel his loss, and his death was something we still feel emotional about today. You cannot forget the emotional aspect, but you cannot allow it to pull you away from the decisions which need to be taken.

The secretary general role is an important one in the Nationalist Party and Karl [Gouder] ticked all the right boxes.

We now must look forward. There is work ongoing in the background, and without mentioning any names people have come forward to express their interest in taking on the role. It is a process one must go through, and it is a priority.

And because the role is important, and it is a priority, the choice must be well made. The role is important for the PN, but at this point in time, it is also important for the country.

After Gouder's death, the PN together with the family and the Labour Party had issued a call for information. Has there been any development on that front?

There is an ongoing inquiry, and I have no information related to it, but it is still ongoing. What we are seeing is that it is being taken seriously and professionally. We remain open to helping the inquiry in any way we can.

I also appeal for anyone who might have any information to come forward. This is not a political issue, and definitely not a partisan one or some kind of PR stunt.

Newspaper headlines this week were dominated by changes to the Villa Rosa local plan. Let me start with you - did you ever meet with Tal-Franciz [the developer behind the project] to be briefed about the project?

I never had such meetings. I only remember Camilleri on the other side of a court case I was working on, but I was never shown any presentations.

There are two dimensions to this issue, and one is almost more important than the other. There is the issue of the project itself, which according to the law how it stands, he [the developer] has the right to present the project as it has been presented. One can argue whether the project should be developed or not, but within the parameters of the law, the project can be done.

The Prime Minister contradicts your statement. He alluded that the PN or Bernard Grech knew of all the details. Did Bernard Grech inform you of any meetings with Tal-Franciz?

First of all, if the Prime Minister reached the agreement, he should say what he knows, not what others know. Apart from the fact that I am not informed of any such meetings. But there could have been meetings as a lot of people come here and pitch their ideas. Whether he [Bernard Grech] accepts such proposals is another issue.

If the Prime Minister, or his minister, agreed on something, they must explain. He surely cannot shift the blame onto others.

Now I want to speak about political surveys. I know you will tell me surveys represent a snapshot of the moment, but they have consistently shown bad performances by Bernard Grech. Given we are seeing the PN is doing well in surveys, is Bernard Grech holding back the party from being a real force to go head-to-head with Labour?

I understand the methodology that MaltaToday uses in its surveys, which really are a snapshot of what is happening…

But politicians do use it as an excuse. The PN secretary general as soon as the survey went out, went ahead and posted on Facebook, but when surveys don’t look good, politicians say it is a snapshot…

Surveys show a certain trend, because the MaltaToday survey came a couple of months after the MEP and local council elections, it looks like there might be a trend; and I won’t say there is a trend in favour or against the PN, but a trend that people understand there is a need for radical change in the country’s governance.

If the PN is showing some advancements, the party is led by Bernard Grech. This means that you could or could not like him, but his effect as a leader is reflected in the bigger support the PN now has. People see his public persona, but as leader of the party, he keeps the person at the centre of his political style. He does it in practice every day.

Well and good, but you know in Maltese politics, the party’s success depends on the leader’s success. I feel it is unfair we always mention Roberta Metsola, but if there were another leader, who can go head-to-head with Robert Abela’s trust rating, don’t you think the PN would be better placed to win the general election?

I think if I had to judge what people think from the survey, I feel it shows a trend on what the people’s priorities are, and their priorities are a team of competent people who can move the country forward without arrogance, corruption, lack of standards and shortcomings across the board. And Bernard Grech’s brilliance is that he wants to build a team of competent people who can bring their ideas forward for a better Malta, and it is a very good trait to have in a leader.