Tough times expose your values; mine have always been to make a difference for the better – no matter what it takes and how high the stakes are. Two years ago I was elected PN general secretary. The Nationalist Party, after 25 years in government, had just suffered a massive blow at the polls – it had to reinvent itself and start the difficult process of trying to win back people’s trust. To complicate matters further, the PN and its commercial companies were in dire financial straits.
I was tasked with putting our house in order. It was no walk in the park. I had countless sleepless nights and the most difficult situations were when I had no choice but to downsize the number of employees within the company – all hard-working and committed individuals.
For two years, I gave my services to the PN on a voluntary basis – refusing to be paid a salary or any other financial remuneration; I wanted to lead by example. Together with my team, we addressed the financial situation successfully, salaries started to be paid on time again – as should be, and medialink, after a thorough restructuring exercise, no longer operated at a financial loss. A structural programme for the party to pay its debt had also been drawn up.
On a political level, together with party leader Simon Busuttil and deputy leaders Mario de Marco and Beppe Fenech Adami we embarked on what was perhaps the most difficult task – rebuilding the PN, at times from scratch. We set up policy fora which brought together people of different backgrounds and ideas – for most of them it was the first time that they stepped into party headquarters.
Our first electoral test – the MEP elections – came barely a year after we, the new leadership, took helm of the PN, and being early days, the result was, as expected, not very encouraging – although the PN did manage to elect its third seat to the European Parliament.
We stepped up our efforts, until along came the second electoral test – the local council elections. The results were very encouraging – the gap between the parties halved with the PN making inroads in Labour strongholds in the south of Malta.
I will now be closer to the needs, challenges and aspirations of Gozo and its people
The result in Malta filled us with courage, energy and motivation. Hard work paid off. It was a collective effort and I’m proud that as general secretary I had given my fair share in making the PN a credible alternative to the current government. Of course, much more needs to be done as the road ahead is still an uphill struggle – but we managed to climb up to the half way mark, having started at huge electoral disadvantage.
In contrast to the very encouraging local councils result in Malta, in Gozo the PN did not manage to make enough inroads. Gozo is my constituency, and as shadow minister for Gozo this result was of grave concern for me and the PN. Things unfolded quickly, and following Giovanna Debono’s departure from the PN parliamentary group, Busuttil felt that having laid successfully the foundations within the party and its commercial companies, I should now employ my time and energy within my constituency and address this matter of serious concern for the PN.
It was the most sensible way forward and I immediately informed Busuttil and my colleagues that I would not seek another term as PN general secretary when my term expires at the end of this month. Needless to say, I do this with a heavy heart – once I had successfully laid the foundations, I was looking forward to build up successfully on those foundations.
Circumstances, however, require that I turn my attention where it is needed most – Gozo. I just couldn’t afford to stand back and watch the PN losing out further in my constituency – I would have been abdicating responsibility.
It is going to be a huge personal challenge for me and an uphill struggle for the PN. The PN had for decades been the majority party in Gozo – it no longer is and I am now tasked with reversing this negative trend. I will, to the best of my abilities, act to boost the PN in Gozo once more. I will focus exclusively on Gozo – dedicating all of my time to my constituency as shadow minister for Gozo.
I will now be closer to the needs, challenges and aspirations of Gozo and its people.
Many Nationalist Party supporters, disgruntled Nationalists and middle of the road voters in Gozo believe that little if anything can be done to rebuild the Gozitans’ trust in the PN again. The easy route would be to join in and accept that it will take years for the PN to become the majority party in Gozo again. But that’s not why I came into politics and it is not what the Nationalist Party stands for. Now that I shall focus exclusively on Gozo, my mission is to show that the PN can make a difference in Gozo too.
I consider myself to be a determined character who never backs away from a challenge. I look forward to this new challenge and am determined to succeed. I shall leave no stone unturned in my quest to make the PN the majority party in Gozo again.
Chris Said is shadow minister for Gozo and outgoing PN general secretary.