Nationalist Party councillors this morning gave thumbs up to a proposal by new leader Simon Busuttil for the party to have two deputy leaders instead of one.
Statutory changes will see the party get a deputy leader for parliamentary affairs and a deputy leader for party affairs, on the same lines as the Labour Party.
In a brief address at the end of the council, Dr Busuttil said the PN was "back in business" and the decision by councillors was a sign the party did not fear change.
He said nominations for the two posts will open tomorrow and close on Tuesday with the election to be held on May 25.
Dr Busuttil said there will be other changes to the statute, including a proposal by MP Robert Arrigo to give local councillors a vote in the general council. A commission will be set up to examine the statute and propose changes to make the PN a modern party, he added.
The commission will have until the end of July to come up with a blueprint for change.
Dr Busuttil also announced he will be setting up another commission to examine the party's financial situation in the wake of serious cash flow problems that saw employees receiving their wages late. "This is an urgent matter," he said.
Ending his speech by saying the party's doors will be wide open for anyone wanting to join, Dr Busuttil said newcomers had to have the party's interest at heart and "not their own". It was an indirect reference to the internal difficulties the party faced with rebel MPs in the last legislature and to which he received rousing applause.
"We should be proud because we can be a united party. We are ready to go back to the people... we are ready to roll up our sleeves and win back the respect and trust of the people to make this party a winning party once again," he said.
None of the councillors, who spoke during an hour-long discussion on the deputy leader proposal, opposed it, with a sole councillor raising the question as to whether the deputy leader for party affairs should be an MP - echoing criticism made last week by former MP Jean Pierre Farrugia.
With a nine seat disadvantage in Parliament and a party in tatters after suffering a resounding loss at the polls in March, councillors reiterated the need to have two deputy leaders as a means to strengthen party structures.
Introducing the motion approved by the executive last week, outgoing general secretary Paul Borg Olivier said having two deputy leaders would ensure responsibility is shared by a team.
In a slip of the mind, Dr Borg Olivier forgot Guido de Marco when he thanked all previous deputy leaders. To shouts of Guido from the floor, Dr Borg Olivier smiled, tapped his forehead and tried to fix the mistake: "I left Guido last because... he gave the party a sense of liberty."
Dr Borg Olivier said over the past few years the PN as a party in government was criticised for being too inward-looking. "Having a deputy leader for party affairs will help us focus on changing the party while still offering a strong opposition to the Government."
He said such a move will not weaken the general secretary's role and there was no intention to remove the post - the Labour Party removed the post of general secretary after it changed its statute in 2009.
Dr Borg Olivier said the new role of deputy leader for party affairs should not be defined just like the leader's role is not defined. "He should assist the leader in the running of the party."
In a first intervention from the floor human rights lawyer and candidate Therese Comodini Cachia said the party needed two deputy leaders "now" even because with nine seats down in Parliament, the PN had to have all hands on deck to be focused.
Her argument was backed by veteran MP Francis Zammit Dimech who insisted it was crucial to introduce this change now rather than wait for the whole statute to be revised by a commission.
"Our structures have to be weather-proof because in the past we made changes that helped us as a party in opposition but our aim is to be a party in government and this change will strengthen the party when this happens," Dr Zammit Dimech said.
Victor Scerri, a former party president, insisted the party should not fear change. "What was good in the past does not necessarily mean is expired but structures are there to help our political mission and so we should not allow structures to stop us."
He said having a deputy leader for parliamentary affairs was important for a party that had nine seats less in Parliament where a lot of work had to be done, noting the PN only elected four seats from a pool of 20 in the southern districts.
This sentiment was reiterated by other councillors from the south, who insisted it was important for the party to understand what happened after it suffered a white wash in the four southern districts.
PL statement
In a statement, the Labour Party criticised Dr Busuttil for saying that the Nationalist Party should come first.
It said that on his first opportunity to show the country that the PN would be leaving the negative and divisive politics which characterised the electoral campaign behind, Dr Busuttil failed.
While it was the country and the people who should come first but for Dr Busuttil, it was the party.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com