New PN leader promises councillors his ‘determination’

Simon Busuttil, the new leader of the Nationalist Party, has pledged his determination in what he described to be the best quality he has.

"I never in my life thought that today I would be embarking this road and it is a privilege to lead this glorious party. I am going to give you the only thing I have: my full determination," Busuttil said.

Turning to the three leadership contenders - Mario de Marco, Francis Zammit Dimech and Ray Bugeja - Busuttil urged them for their contribution.

"To build a strong party I need your help. I need your ideas and I will be making use of the ideas you presented during the campaign," he said.

Laying out his vision for the party, Busuttil said the doors of the Nationalist Party will be wide open.

"We will once again be a united party, open to everyone. Let us knock on people's doors and invite them to join us. And I will be the first to start knocking on doors," he said, insisting that it was important that the PN regains the people's trust.

"We need to edge closer to the Nationalists because these cannot be taken for granted; we must earn the trust and respect of those who during the last election did not vote for us. We must show that we truly are there for everyone."

Busuttil said that as from tomorrow, he will start working for a united party, closer to the people. He announced that tomorrow he will be calling the first meeting of the parliamentary group, the executive council and that of the administrative council.

He will also kick start the process by which a commission will be set up to analyse the commercial and financial situation of the party.

A second committee to be set up is that for the revision of the party's statute and structures and another for the selection and vetting of candidates.

Busuttil said the party must also intensify its work in the Gozo and south regions of Malta.

Meeting journalists at the end of the general conference, Busuttil didn't want to express any preference to who should be elected deputy leaders. Asked whether Mario de Marco, who during the first round garnered 38% votes, should be elected deputy leader, Busuttil insisted that this all dependent on the deputy leadership race.

"He [Mario] has shown great loyalty towards the party when he contested the election. And the result he obtained merits respect. He would make a very good deputy leader, but this is a race and therefore there would be more candidates," he said.

Busuttil added that all other candidates - so far the only two confirmed are Claudette Buttigieg and Beppe Fenech Adami - enjoyed good qualities and were valid candidates.

Asked whether the Nationalist Party would now have two deputy leaders, Busuttil said the PN's statute provided for one.

Earlier this evening, the PL also congratulated him for his new post, adding that it hoped that the PN would now do away with the politics "of them and us".

But when questioned on this, Busuttil said it was the Labour government who was acting this way because it had appointed persons on board who had been on the PL's billboards or had given their testimonials during the election campaign.