It would be foolish to assume that a successful political fundraising event is a guarantee of political success. But it cannot be dismissed. Especially now, when, according to the usual suspects, the Nationalist Party is dead. The €620,319 raised at a fundraising telethon was a first for the PN. It proved its critics wrong. And that is very encouraging.
I’ve been in politics all my adult life. I know a challenge when I see one. And the challenges faced by the PN are many and, at times, look insurmountable. But the good news is that they’re not.
Admittedly, among PN supporters there are mixed feelings. Many believe that the new party leadership can bring the much awaited and needed good news. Others are wary and suspicious, and a significant few claim that they are deeply disillusioned.
The leadership campaign was intense, and left many an open wound. It is now our duty to heal them. It will take time. But what is at stake is the very existence of the PN. We have a government which, in the name of ‘economic success’, rides roughshod over people’s rights. The Prime Minister’s spouse jets off to the Bahamas, paid for from our taxes.
It’s a winner-takes-all approach, and this is just the beginning. We are faced with a stark choice: strengthen the party or be damned. There will come a time when the meltdown in State institutions and the lack of the rule of law shall take its toll on the economy – and then it will be a mess. That can be stopped, but you need a strong opposition party to do it. This explains why I’ve decided to give the deputy leadership for party affairs my all.
Every day is a challenge, at times a struggle. Our predecessors made inroads and structured financial debts, accumulated by the party over the years. Now it’s up to us, the new leadership, to pay off the debts and give, over the coming years, a clean financial bill of health to the PN.
The leadership campaign was intense, and left many an open wound. It is now our duty to heal them. It will take time. But what is at stake is the very existence of the PN
The fundraising telethon was an encouraging start. They were, mostly, modest donations from people of limited means – who time and again help the party when it is most in need. But for the first time in a good number of years, small businessmen and -women stepped forward to help.
It’s no secret that, over the years, the PN, once identified with the self-employed and business community, lost its support to Labour. It is not the purpose of this article to enter into the merits that made them look elsewhere. But we are duty-bound to address this situation, and we are.
Early days, of course, and a lot of convincing to do, but an encouraging number of them contributed to the fundraising event – expecting no financial gain in return but goodwill, from both sides, to engage in discussion and explore a common path forward.
My first few days as deputy leader for party affairs have been a roller coaster of emotions and hard work.
Emotions because it is a fact, attested to by two landslide defeats at the polls, that the PN lost a significant part of its core vote. Along the way, thousands of cardholding members refused to pay their party membership. My office assigned party employees and volunteers to go back 20 years, identify those who refused to renew their membership, get in touch with them and convince them to come on board, again. The outcome is very encouraging.
Yes, others left, in small numbers, and for us they matter, and how. We are looking into the matter, and instead of pointing fingers at them, we direct those fingers at ourselves, for it is us who must mend ways and convince those who desert us to come back – for this is where they belong.
I’ve toured, together with party leader Adrian Delia, a good number of party clubs, met activists, encouraged them to pull up their socks and explained to them our vision for the rebuilding of the PN.
This is going to be the new normal. We’re not in this for our personal gain.
But the PN does not deserve to be wiped out – our country deserves a strong opposition party, and a credible alternative to the Labour government.
There will come a time when people will look elsewhere – and it is then when the PN must shine and be to them a beacon of hope. We’re working to achieve that. The successful fundraising telethon made us cautiously optimistic.
Robert Arrigo is Nationalist Party deputy leader, party affairs.