Hollow family court reform was final straw that pushed Conrad Borg Manché to run on PN ticket

PN candidate Conrad Borg Manché has stated that a hollow family court reform is what pushed him to “fight for what is right” and contest this general election with the Nationalist Party.

Borg Manché – who served Gżira as its mayor for almost a full decade, as a Labour Party representative – shared on Wednesday afternoon what implored him to contest this year’s general election with the PN Opposition.

Writing on his personal Facebook page, the PN’s surprise candidate said that the decided to go into this general election as a Nationalist Party representative because he “could no longer watch our country being hijacked by a few people to the detriment of our families, our environment, and our communities.”

“This was not a decision I made overnight. It was a decision I made with conviction,” he said.

The former mayor stated that he entered politics to serve, not be served, and that his loyalty has always been to the people – “and not to a party, not to a clique, [and] not to the rich.” He said that this principle has been consistent throughout his political career.

“From the day I opened public access to Manoel Island after more than fifteen years of being closed, to the day I fought in Court to save the island’s only public garden from a petrol station that they wanted to put behind people’s backs, my loyalty has always been one: to the people, not to a party, not to a clique, not to those who have money, but to the people,” Borg Manché said.

“And when I saw the promises of a Family Court reform fade to nothing while parents and children continue to suffer, I had to choose: either remain silent, or fight for what is right. I chose to fight,” he stated.

Borg Manché said that since the news of his candidature with the Nationalist Party broke out, he has observed that many people in the general public recognise why he could no longer represent the Labour Party – who he said betrayed both him and the people.

“In these last hours I have read hundreds of comments and messages, and I confirm that many people have understood exactly why I could no longer support the party in Government that betrayed me and, above all, betrayed the people,” Borg Manché said.

He also thanked everyone from the bottom of his heart for every word of encouragement received, adding that “these reactions give me more strength to continue on this path.”

Borg Manché’s decision to run on the PN ticket came as a surprise; this manoeuvre only became public knowledge on Monday – the final day that the Electoral Commission was accepting nominations for candidates looking to contest the general election at the end of this month.

The news was first revealed by The Malta Independent soon after his nomination was filed.

Borg Manché had resigned from the Labour Party in 2023, saying at the time that the party had left him with no other choice but to step away. In his resignation letter, Borg Manché said that the PL had lost the scope for which it had been set up and that he hoped that the Labour Party will “find its soul” again.

Following this, he contested the European Parliament elections and the local council elections in June 2024 as an independent candidate. There, he was elected to the Gżira Local Council at the first count, with 562 votes, as the locality’s second-most popular candidate. As an MEP candidate, he managed to garner 5,936 first count votes nationwide.

He will give his first address as a Nationalist Party candidate later in the evening, during a mass rally in Qormi.

RSS Feed Source: Independent Malta Hollow family court reform was final straw that pushed Conrad Borg Manché to run on PN ticket