The immediate decisions made by Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil following the Giovanna Debono controversy were received well by political analysts.
Veteran journalist Godfrey Grima described Dr Busuttil’s moves as “commendable” and “very decent”, while political commentator Joe Pirotta said: “Dr Busuttil made honest decisions” in line with his new style of politics.
Speaking to Times of Malta, both commentators praised Ms Debono’s decision to resign from the PN to defend her family’s integrity.
New style of politics
“Giovanna Debono made the right decision to resign [from the PN] and Dr Busuttil made the right decision to accept her resignation.
“This is just how things should be done in a normal political environment when such serious accusations are made.
“The PN leader’s decision to ask Chris Said to dedicate his time to Gozo to recoup lost ground is also a very wise move and fits perfectly with the regeneration of the Nationalist Party.
“Dr Busuttil made the right decisions at the right time. I see nothing extraordinary in this, because Dr Busuttil is just acting in line with his new style of politics: a style based on honesty, in line with what he has been preaching since his election as PN leader.” – Joe Pirotta
Valuable asset
“Giovanna Debono chose to take the honourable way when such things in politics happen. Now we should wait for justice to take its course. Only at the end of this process can we say whether her husband is guilty or not and draw our conclusions. But the way Ms Debono acted is the right one.
“At the same time, Dr Busuttil did not waste any time in doing what was expected of him. He acted with respect and in a very decent way.
“Dr Busuttil’s decision to put Chris Said in charge of Gozo is a very good one. Dr Said is very valid and he has been the rising star of the Nationalist Party in Gozo for quite some years. Dr Busuttil made a very good move by utilising Dr Said’s energy to regain the PN’s popularity in Gozo.
“Dr Said is more valuable to the PN in Gozo than as general secretary and it is evident that Dr Busuttil realised this. The post of secretary general nowadays is not that important and you can put anyone as secretary general. I recommended the same for Labour and my recomendation was put into practice.” – Godfrey Grima