It was a stellar rise and he was not welcomed by all. Adrian Delia appears to have come from nowhere, though, given his structured campaign and enthusiastic crowds, it is evident he had been planning it for some time. But now he is there, the new Nationalist Party leader.
When things got hot in the bitter electoral campaign, he said he had the Nationalist “establishment” set against him. It was an unfortunate choice of words, because he is now the new establishment.
He will naturally bring in his own trusted people to run the party. But the old establishment, which he defied, and won, is the soul of the party. Dr Delia should build on what that establishment has achieved and work with them closely to achieve continuity, party unity and, yes, success.
In his farewell speech, his predecessor, Simon Busuttil, said he would stay on to fight corruption. Dr Delia owes it to all PN voters to stand by Dr Busuttil’s side, because he stood for what was right: good, clean governance. It is the one distinguishing feature that separates the PN from the Labour Party.
The majority of the electorate did not buy Dr Busuttil’s message at the last election, though all Nationalist voters did. They voted for good governance, independent institutions and an end to sleaze in the highest echelons of government. To let that political platform go is to abandon the PN’s basic principles and, consequently, alienate the bulk of PN voters that Dr Delia will need to fall back upon to achieve electoral success.
Dr Delia has a strange attraction. He managed to invigorate party supporters when the PN was possibly at its lowest point. His election as leader was a celebration on the Granaries in Floriana. His success was boosted by a widespread desire for a radical change to a party formula that has failed repeatedly. He promises to take the party back to the people.
He contested for the leadership while party stalwarts shied away from the challenge. The worst thing they can do now is undermine him. But Dr Delia must extend a hand of friendship.
There are immense challenges ahead. The Labour Party is financially strong and has applied a very successful electoral strategy based primarily on the power of incumbency. It is a mountain to climb.
Dr Delia needs to clear out questions regarding his business and financial situation. He will also need to work out how the PN coalition with the Democratic Party will pan out.
Then he must focus on party values and work out a consensus on the upcoming controversies that will include gentlemen’s clubs, the legalisation of drugs and reproductive ethics.
The last thing he needs is a repetition of how the PN handled the civil unions Bill.
By the next election, Labour will have been in power for nearly a decade. It may well have a new leader.
As is normal in electoral cycles, there will be a mood for change, no matter how well the economy may be doing.
Dr Delia will need to read the signs of the times and come up with an alternative to Labour. In doing that, he must never forget where he comes from.
To betray PN principles would be a recipe for another disaster.