It has possibly been the worst week for the Nationalist Party since the stunning electoral loss of 2013. Over the last months, it has been gearing up, putting hope and energy in its supporters, successfully organising a national protest against corruption and has relentlessly struck at the administration, branding it the most corrupt government in Maltese history.

Party leader Simon Busuttil’s flagship has been good governance and a promise to do things differently and correctly. On its part, the government has continued to stumble from one controversy to another, its only positive point being a strong economy that is leaving not a few victims by the wayside.

With a 36,000 vote advantage and a strong parliamentary majority, Labour could have well done miracles in government but it has not. It does not mean it has lost that numerical advantage. Dr Busuttil readily admits he has a hill to climb and has to do that very fast. But, suddenly, he’s climbing it backwards. He has to watch his back.

Possibly more than ever before, Dr Busuttil is realising what hurdles he has to overcome to deliver his promise of good governance. Last weekend, bang in the middle of a much-needed financial campaign, he had the carpet pulled right from underneath him in an unprecedented assault from a developer of the former ITS site in Paceville.

Rightfully, Dr Busuttil smelt a rat when he saw the government give away such a prime site for a mere €15 million, staggered over a number of years. The developers, db Group, did not like what he said. Maybe they thought they had their mind at rest that, having employed the legal services of the PN deputy leader, Mario de Marco, and having made donations to the party, Dr Busuttil would close an eye, or two. He did not.

The exact financial relationship between the party and the developer is still unclear as the information is being released in stages from both sides. These are uncharted waters. No one doubts the financial clout of big businesses and their influence on political parties but this confrontation, where a business is asking money back because the party it financed displeased it, is of immense national concern. Truly a threat to democracy.

Dr Busuttil has inherited this system and how much he is party to it now is yet unclear. The db Group has made serious allegations against the PN over its fundraising methods, apparently oblivious to the fact that the company itself is complicit in every accusation it makes. They appear ready to pay that price.

The db Group insists it was the party that had asked it for money and the company had not offered it. But it gave it nevertheless and now it is clear why.

No political party should ever allow itself to end up in this situation, where it could be blackmailed and arm-twisted by strong business. The PN has found itself in exactly that situation and Dr Busuttil has stood his ground.

It is useless for the PN to argue that the Labour Party is in the pockets of big business. Big business has spoken and it is pointing at the PN and not at Labour. The PN has let it down and it now faces its wrath.

Maybe, for the first time, it is possible to see what Dr Busuttil is promising, how radical his promise of good governance can be and what he is up against.

The question is, who will bring down who?

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