The ongoing drama within the Nationalist Party seems to be reaching its final conclusion. A leadership contest that has lasted three months has definitely taken its toll on both the party’s structures and its grassroots.
Acrimony and verbal confrontation has been played out on the social media, to the extent that a sense of exhaustion is being felt by the average PN supporter. Even on a popular level signs of fatigue seem to appear about the entire saga.
Yet at the same time the electoral race has grabbed the attention of the media on a daily basis for three months. Facebook users have been confronted by almost daily rants, while the rest of the media not just that affiliated with the PN have taken interest.
This has varied from the obvious joy of those on the opposing side to a sense of bewilderment expressed by more objective observers. Yet all sides have expressed a sense of despair at how democracy risks becoming unbalanced in the face of a situation in which our parliamentary Opposition can end up imploding.
So how have we ended in this situation and what can the PN do to come out of it for the good of both party and nation? The most obvious answer is a lack of political direction coupled with a deep sense of delusion. Losing one election after another without any signs of narrowing the gap between its vote and that of the party in government, has definitely traumatised the average PN supporter.
This trauma has turned towards feelings of anger towards what in due course has been described as the ‘Establishment’.
The PN has flirted with liberalism and yet failed to make any impact on the voter
Which brings us to the current electoral race, one with many firsts within the party’s history, each one of which has caused a tremor in the party. The first is the lack of an apparent heir who can be considered as close to the incumbent leader.
The second is an apparent lack of ideological direction in the face of new realities. This can be perfectly understood as up till 2004, the PN was fully geared towards EU membership, while since then its role has been all but taken by a reinvigorated pro-EU Labour Party.
So within this vacuum an ever-increasing amount of ideas have filtered in as the PN has tried to reinvent itself, so far without success. And even here fatigue has set in as the party has flirted with liberalism and yet failed to make any impact on the voter.
What I would propose in this case is a balanced approach, a mix between conservative and liberal leadership that unifies all. In this case Catholic politicians who aspire to contribute should take inspiration from what Pope Francis recently told legislators in Rome:
“As long as the contribution of the Church to the great questions of society in our time can be put into discussion, it is vital that your commitment be constantly pervaded by her moral and social teachings, in order to build a more humane and just society.”
Taking this as a clue I would make a daring proposal, a deputy leader who has a proven record of being honest and principle. I am proposing Edwin Vassallo and before the usual accusations levelled against someone who voted against the same-sex marriage Act, let me point out some facts.
First, Vassallo has a proven track record of working with leaders, even if he was not always in agreement with them. The second is based on the fact that his Catholic-oriented politics is open to dialogue with all factions as his recent speeches during the recent leadership campaign. Therefore as a unifying figure, I see Vassallo as the right choice for the above-mentioned position.
Carmel Borg graduated in history in 2000 and obtained a Masters in International Relations in 2014.