PN leadership contender Simon Busuttil this morning presented his ideas for the party and warned that it would be a mistake to choose someone without experience or roots in the PN.
He also said that everyone should shoulder responsibility for the PN's historical defeat at the polls, including himself, but this did not mean anyone should be disqualified from rebuilding the party.
Dr Busuttil pointed out that if he should not contest for leadership because he was deputy leader for the last three months, nor should anyone who was in Cabinet or helping as a parliamentary assistant.
On the financial issues crippling the party, Dr Busuttil said he would take advice from experts in the field on how to carry out the appropriate restructuring. However, he also proposed to split up the party's political structures from its commercial ones in a way that the two can be dealt with separately.
The former MEP said he wanted to build a strong and constructive opposition but disagreed with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's proposal to involve Opposition backbenchers in executive roles, even though he saw scope for cooperation in areas for the national interest.
Speaking at a press conference this morning, Dr Busuttil repeatedly insisted that the PN needed to become the 'people's party' once more.
He described himself as a centrist and said he wanted to open the PN. While cherishing family values, the party had to respond to today's realities, he said, adding that PN had since 1987 said it was not a confessional party.
He said the party had paid a political price for its stand on divorce but had already moved on and went a step further on LGBT rights by suggesting in its electoral programme that equality should be enshrined in the Constitution.
"The Labour Party did not even propose this and I hope they change their mind when it comes to the Constitutional revision," he said.
Dr Busuttil also spoke about the importance of women in party structures and said he hoped women would contest for the various internal elections being held by the party.
Dr Busuttil said his programme was built on five pillars - A party which was clear to the people, a party which was reorganised, a people's party, a party which offered strong but constructive opposition, and a party which offered solutions for the challenges which the country faced.
He said people had to know where they stood with regard to the PN. This could not be a party which promised everything to everyone, it should be prepared to admit its mistakes, and be united against corruption.
He said the code of ethics of those who worked within the party needed to be revised.
Dr Busuttil laid particular stress on the need for the party to attract volunteers of every age and from every sector.
The party, he said, also needed a new generation in its administration and it needed to attract the best people as its representatives and candidates.
The party also needed to use the experience of former MPs, candidates and all those who wished to contribute.
The party needed to have a stable financial situation which enabled it to carry out its functions effectively, and there should be separation between its commercial and political roles.
Dr Busuttil said he was proposing the creation of a commission to review the statute and structures of the party.
Party headquarters, he said, needed to be open and attractive to people, and better use needed to be made of the party's properties.
Dr Busuttil said the role of the section committees also needed to be revised and made more relevant, so that they could attract more people within them.
He also called for a new party membership campaign and said party members should have a stronger say in decision-making.
CONCILIATION COMMITTEE AND ANNUAL CONVENTION
A Conciliation Committee should be set up to reconcile different views within the party membership and a Convention should be convened every year to give the membership the opportunity, over several days, to discuss and draft party policy.
Dr Busuttil said that once elections to party posts were over, the party should discuss the outcome of the general election with the party members.
The party should be more accessible for those who had strayed from it and those who had different views.
He also underlined the need to integrate the party media with modern needs
In other points, Dr Busuttil stressed the need of the party being open to minority groups and for it to hold regular meetings with representatives of civil society and experts in the various fields.