One cannot envy the 20,000-plus members of the Nationalist Party who have been called to vote for their new leader next Saturday.

The choice that confronts them is a stark and difficult one, with very different contenders both with strengths and obvious flaws:

Adrian Delia, the magnetic outsider offering the appeal of the completely new, who challenges the status quo but whose overbearing manner and dubious business dealings have repelled many a party activist.

And Chris Said, the honest, hard-working party veteran, who has proven his loyalty and political acumen by robustly serving the PN through its ups and downs but whose very insider status is seen by many as just the ticket for another electoral defeat.

Whoever of the two is elected will have his work cut out for him. It is vital that the process of renewal starts in earnest. It is absolutely crucial for the country and for our democracy to have a strong, credible Opposition and government-in-waiting.

The new leader will have to make the PN electoral machine the mighty beast it once was, with ears firmly planted to the ground.

More than that, he will need to communicate a clear and appealing alternative vision for Malta. Good governance, fighting corruption and the strengthening of institutional independence need to be right up there and not just the subjects of lip service.

But also, how can more people be helped to benefit from the booming economy? Where does one create new economic sectors for when the current motors falter? How should the country tackle overdevelopment? How can traffic be finally solved and public transport truly improved? How would the elderly be given a dignified lifestyle?

Additionally, the new leader will need to reconcile the liberal and conservative wings of the party on moral issues. Will he allow his MPs free votes? Will he stick to the centre ground in the attempt to appeal broadly to the electorate?

The leader’s first job, however, will be to unify the party after a highly divisive campaign. The winner must reach out to the defeated candidate and his supporters and back him for a leading role in the party. Delia in particular would need to make peace with the parliamentary group.

This would be no easy task: it is well known that he is viewed with deep distrust by several MPs and officials. He would be unable to lead the PN effectively without the MPs’ full support and it is not certain he would receive it beyond token shows of unity. Both sides would need to compromise: their values on one side and his authority on the other. On the other hand, Said would face no such difficulties.

This is a critical factor that pragmatic voters need to keep in mind on Saturday, besides considering Said’s unassailable past worthy of a PN leader and because of this, his far stronger credibility in holding the government to account.

In the meantime, active supporters of the two camps are deeply divided, with the often angry, rude exchanges on social media magnifying their animosity. One must not take these overzealous supporters as your typical tesserat. For every ill-thought remark there is a reasoned argument, for every diehard campaigner an ordinary PN member who is still grappling with his or her conscience before the momentous decision that must be made.

The intensity of the contest is not a bad thing in itself. Certain things need to be said; the desire for change requires a full airing.

A sense of perspective is badly needed though. It is normal for any political party to be defeated by the incumbents when the economy is doing so well. It is normal in the cycle of any party to go through a rough patch, especially after being defeated at the polls.

And despite some talk of the possibility of a split, members have one thing in common: they want the good of the PN. Will this be the dominant sentiment after Saturday or will the internal strife continue to do damage to the party?

Certainly, there is more chance of the PN calmly getting down to the business at hand with Said at the helm, to the benefit of both party and country.

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