Simon Busuttil must go, at least for the sake of his party.   My party, the one I militated in for some 15 years.  The one I always voted for and the one I canvassed for in the last general election.

Now that the election dust has settled a bit, the focus shifts on to the Nationalist Party.   Some very important decisions will be taken within the PN in the coming weeks.  These crucial decisions will dictate whether the PN will keep on digging or whether it will start building again.

Busuttil must go for a hundred and one reasons.  Let me outline a few.

Let’s look at the bigger picture first; Busuttil was elected leader of the Opposition in 2013.  Since then he always trailed behind Joseph Muscat in every opinion poll I saw by some 10 to 15 points.  People trusted, and still trust, Muscat more than they trust Busuttil.

Throughout these four years a perception has been built. Unfortunately for Busuttil, the perception out there is that he is not electable as a prime minister.  Quite honestly I do not think that this is completely his fault because he really tried his best.  But then again, if that was his best, it means that this is the furthest he can go, which is decisively not enough.

In most opinion polls I followed throughout these four years, Busuttil was even less popular then his own party.   This poses a real problem, as it puts him as a liability to the party rather than as an asset.  And let’s face it, there were instances when he really was a liability to his party.

He was definitely a liability to the PN when he handpicked Rosette Thake for secretary general of the PN and also when he, unilaterally, approved Salvu Mallia as a general election candidate, bypassing the committee he himself had created to shield him when harsh decisions about prospective candidates had to be taken.

The PN needs someone who can be perceived as electable

He was definitely a liability when he burdened the PN with a coalition that only served to widen the gap between the PL and the PN with the result that the PN ended up with one seat less in Parliament.

Zooming in to the electoral campaign, I met several people who said that Busuttil rose to the occasion.  I beg to differ.  The PN was in a better position on May 1 than it ended up in on June 3.  During the electoral campaign the PN lost support and the gap between the PL and the PN widened.  Since when losing support is being perceived as doing well?

Let us not forget that the PN was caught on the wrong foot when the election was announced, that there was no electoral manifesto ready, not even a draft and that the very few last minute proposals were half-baked.  Let us not forget that we were told that this election is not about proposals and we were asked to vote for the PN simply because the others are not good enough because they are corrupt.

Let us not forget that this was being fed to us at the same time as Busuttil, without being asked, had disclosed that his party was receiving illicit money from one of the biggest businessmen on the island.

Simon must go, because if he stays, he will pave the way to all the other PN officials to stay.  And then who will shoulder the responsibility of this devastating defeat?  They all have to.

They did the only honourable thing to do in the circumstances when they resigned, but now I am seeing signs of manoeuvres indicating that they want to get back to their seats.  Maybe they will consider playing some musical chairs but, given the slightest chance, most of them will jump back in.

Simon must go, because for those who want to see, there is an eye opener.  All this happened in 2003, exactly the same, with the only difference that the two main parties were in the opposite situation they are in today.  After losing the 2003 election, Alfred Sant resigned.  He reconsidered his position after an orchestrated chorus of requests which climaxed at the MLP mass meeting on May 1.

He stayed, only to do the impossible; he lost the 2008 election.  Alfred Sant resigned from party leader once and for all in 2008.  But the PL lost five years and that’s what the PN is risking to loose, five precious years.

Finally, Busuttil must go because the PN needs fresh ideas.  I still believe that the new PN leader should be someone from within the party.  Someone who will have the guts to rebrand the party, starting from the very basics, like its name and emblem.

Someone who can build a good team based on a mixture of experience and enthusiasm.  Someone who can reach out to traditional PN people who do not feel that they belong to the party anymore, who can build bridges with those who in the recent past formed part of the party and have left it for some reason or another.

The PN needs someone who can be perceived as electable.

This does not necessarily mean that the PN will win the next general election, but it will surely mean that the PN will be on the right track.  If the PN wants to stand a chance to win, then it must go for change.  On the other hand, if the PN is comfortable where it stands then it can opt for the status quo.  If I were to predict, I would say that the PN will choose the latter option, the status quo.  I really hope that I will be proven wrong.

Philip Mifsud is a former Nationalist Party member of Parliament.