Wednesday, January 17, 2018 - 11:26 Leo Olivero

Keith Azopardi on Monday issued his own New Year’s message, albeit, half-way into the first month of the year. He had time to listen and read all the other political New Year’s messages, including that of his party colleague, Damon Bossino, who looks to have caught him in on the hop when he unexpectedly released his own New Year’s message last week.

Azopardi Obliged to Make New Year Message?

Azopardi also obviously read Panorama’s report entitled ‘Bossino, and not the GSD party leader answers New Year messages by Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister’.

With these points in mind, it does appear Keith Azopardi felt obliged to make a New Year’s message, so why wait so long to issue one, people are asking.

Panorama even questioned the strange goings-on in the GSD, and why Damon Bossino and not the party leader or the Leader of the Opposition, replied to the New Year’s messages from the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister.

The new GSD leader (outside parliament) should have been ‘first out the starting blocks’ with a New Year’s message - and not wait to be embarrassed, it seems, by Bossino, who in November was expected to stand in the party leadership election. But it wasn’t to be - instead Azopardi got the job in a hugely controversial leadership contest with Roy Clinton, who has not been heard of since.

But last week it fell on Bossino to unilaterally, it seems, issue a New Year’s message as if he was party leader, confusing many people, including many GSD party members who do not know whether the party is coming or going.

One important area, which was not clear at all in the GSD HQ leader of the opposition message, is that he completely ignored and failed to mention his promise and published contract he made to GSD party members. A contract and political promise made two days before the leadership vote, detailing a list of specific commitments Keith Azopardi said he would honour within the first 100 days of being elected as party leader, which was the case.

Some at GSD HQ may think that this is an internal party matter, but they would be wrong once again, as was the case with the leadership contest and the public interest that was created.