Lawrence Gonzi was on Saturday overwhelmingly confirmed as leader of the Nationalist Party. In truth, few would have expected otherwise.

Critics and, perhaps, even some individuals close to the higher echelons of the PN itself, may argue that the result of the general council’s vote is not truly reflective of the real situation within the party and beyond. That, in a way, was admitted by Dr Gonzi himself in his speech yesterday when he made a distinction between the bigger picture and the situation that families have to face on a daily basis.

Franco Debono, the backbencher who forced Dr Gonzi to seek a formal confirmation of his leadership, is already saying he has been vindicated with regard to the complaints he has been raising, which, he may also argue, are too bread and better issues, even if on a different level.

The internal dissent the party has been facing – and make no mistake this goes beyond just Dr Debono – has evidently served to convince the PN that if it truly wants to be of the people, for the people and with the people, than it must get off its ivory tower and walk into the people’s kitchens to hear their every gripe.

In this regard, Dr Gonzi yesterday announced that he had appointed MEP Simon Busuttil as his “special delegate” so that, through AŻAD (the academy for the development of a democratic environment), he would arrange meetings between him (Dr Gonzi) and all sectors wishing to meet him.

Apart from wondering why the PN had to be forced to take such an initiative when staying in close touch with the people should be a main task, if not a duty, of any political party, one is left thinking what Dr Gonzi exactly means by “special delegate”, especially since Dr Busuttil is already chairman of AŻAD. Could this be the opening bars of a leadership succession campaign?

Dr Gonzi also seemed to be launching an appeal to dissenters. The PN, he said, is open to all those who genuinely want to work for the good of the country and the people. The PN will throw wide open its doors and windows to all, he said to applause by those present.

Evidently, there was a lot more than meets the eye in Dr Gonzi’s address yesterday.

So, after all, the internal turmoil within the PN, which culminated in Dr Debono abstaining in an opposition vote of no confidence in the government, and which Dr Gonzi narrowly won thanks to the Speaker’s casting vote, may not have been in vain. One certainly hopes so, for the sake of the PN itself and, of course, for the country’s sake.

The situation in the House of Representatives, however, still remains very fluid. The instability that resulted after Dr Debono’s abstention persists and so, unless tghe backbencher completely repents, the most logical way for Dr Gonzi to address the situation would be to call an election soonest.

But he made it clearly yesterday he was determined to stick it out to the very end of the five-year term. It is probably not a matter of clinging on to power but, rather, to win as much time as possible for the PN to regain lost ground.

The action programme unveiled by Dr Gonzi yesterday makes sense but, unfortunately, it comes very late in the legislature. How Dr Gonzi handles business in the House and deals with Dr Debono and other dissenters are now more crucial than ever.