As the Easter period draws to a close, we not only emerge from a time of personal reflection but also a political one.

The PN must renew its image in a manner that reflects the times

The defeat suffered by the Nationalist Party last month taught us many lessons. Some that we already knew. Others that have yet to be studied and understood. But one thing is clear: change is in the air.

A new Labour Government is now in place and, on the other end of the scale, the process for a new PN leadership team is in the offing.

Whatever may emerge from the forthcoming leadership race, the party needs to grasp this electoral defeat and turn it into an opportunity for renewal.

Make no mistake. Finger pointing is easy. And we can all have turns at pointing fingers at each other. But this is a sterile exercise. For when it is over and done with, we are still left with the difficult part, which is the responsibility of charting the way forward.

So the sooner we look ahead and get down to it, the better.

The PN is facing the challenge of renewal and this will herald a new generation and a new leadership team for the party.

But this challenge can yet be turned into an opportunity that enables the party to regenerate and to return to winning ways. The PN owes it to itself and to the people to quickly restore its electability and to regain public trust.

A renewal process inevitably lends itself to asking some fundamental questions and this is how it should be. Here are some of them: why are we in politics in the first place? What do we stand for? What inspires us to work for our country? What, exactly, are our society’s aspirations today and, crucially, in what ways are we out of synch with our society?

What is clear is that society has changed, not least as a result of the profound transformations that have been triggered by the PN itself and by its achievements.

But, somewhere along the line, the party appears to have become disconnected from the very society that it was leading. And the rest is history. So it is only an honest reflection on these questions that can lead us to provide answers that can help us regroup, rebuild and come back with adequate answers.

In turn, those answers must spawn new ideas that enrich the party both from the organisational point of view as well as in terms of its ability to update its policies and develop new ones.

From the feedback that I obtained over the past few weeks, here are some initial pointers that I would like to share with you.

Firstly, the PN must reaffirm itself as a popular party or a people’s party that is closer to the people. But it must certainly not become a populist party.

Popularity must be sought in the substance of its message and not in exploiting people’s concerns or in promising everything to everyone.

Secondly, the party must remain loyal to its roots be-cause, otherwise, it would lose its identity.

But, likewise, it should also stay in touch with the ever-changing realities of modern society and it must be ready and willing to formulate policy that provides adequate answers to these realities.

Thirdly, the party needs to recapture the moral high ground by reaffirming its commitment to ethics and integrity, to openness and transparency as well as to political accountability. Fourthly, the party must renew its image in a manner that reflects the times and, although the image is not the be-all-and-end-all, there is no doubt that it is an important facilitator of the message.

Fifthly, the party must operate a slick organisation that is able to sustain itself and to cater for the needs of a modern party that is operating in a fast-changing political context.

Finally, whereas the party must pitch for the younger generation, it cannot turn its back on the older generation that worked tirelessly to give us what we have today.

The party was fortunate enough to have leaders capable of leading our country to various achievements in its constitutional, political, economic and social development. So, as we move to a new stage, we cannot undervalue, still less forget, their contribution.

All the while, things move on. On Saturday, the new Parliament convenes and from day one our party needs to get back into gear and offer this country the strong and constructive Opposition that it needs.

Change is truly in the air, not least for the Nationalist Party. But once the dust settles and the recriminations are over, we must see in this change a new and exciting opportunity to return the party to its glory: as an agent for change that inspires trust and that is ever ready and capable of leading the country.

Simon Busuttil is Nationalist Party deputy leader.