Talk about a potential fracture of the Nationalist Party has subsided in recent weeks. But the internal split that has plagued the party ever since it lost the election still occasionally flares up into public view.
The latest example is the testy exchange on social media between members of the parliamentary group. There was fundamental disagreement over the attendance of deputy leader David Agius at the ministerial inauguration of the Valletta local council premises at the Cafe Premier site, over which the PN had once accused the Prime Minister of improper dealings.
This is a party divided, no doubt. On one side are those whose main focus is this administration’s abysmal record of governance and abject failure to tackle corruption. On the other are supporters of party leader Adrian Delia’s attempts to adopt a more pragmatic and “positive” approach, implicitly relegating the fight for cleaner government to lower than top priority.
This fault line is reflected among PN voters, many of whom have lost faith in the party. The result is a weakened Opposition that lacks the moral authority to offer a strong challenge to the government’s abuse of power, save for the isolated MPs from the old guard still crusading for justice and against corruption by legal and other means.
For the sake of the country, a more strenuous effort needs to be made to reconcile the two factions and present a common front that consists of more than papering over the cracks. Only Delia can make this happen.
His first initiative must be to regularise his tax affairs once and for all, despite the personal sacrifice it may entail. Until he does, grave doubts will continue to linger about his integrity and whether he has understood that he is now a public figure with an enormous responsibility to the nation.
In the meantime, he must adopt a more statesmanlike approach to internal party matters: he must rise above the piques and personal ambitions of those around him, look at the big picture – the need for a respected Opposition that serves as a trusted point of reference – assert his authority and reach out directly to those who did not back him in the leadership race. This is instead of constantly surrounding himself, as he does now, by the same core group of dedicated supporters from the parliamentary group. He must give his ‘rivals’ his full public backing in their efforts to oppose filth in government, make their objectives fully his own and give them more visibility in the party.
Four months after taking the helm, his failure to appoint a new Shadow Cabinet – or even at least to tweak it – is a lost opportunity both to stamp his leadership on the party and build bridges within it. It demonstrates uncertainty, as if he is afraid to rock the boat for fear it may sink.
Meanwhile, he struggles to set out a clear vision of what the party stands for. Yet, the pro- and anti-Delia camps are not ideologically divided, even as they profess different priorities.
It takes two to tango: on the other side of the divide, more flexibility is called for instead of entrenchment. Principles cannot be compromised, but Delia won the leadership fair and square. Now he needs to be given the benefit of the doubt and a full chance to prove himself.
He may lack credibility with some MPs but they must be open to any signs of rapprochement from him. His big test will come next year at the European Parliament elections, but it would be a disservice to the cause of rebuilding the party for his detractors to bide their time to see what happens then, rather than entering headlong into the task at hand – as long as they are allowed to. Loyalty demands it, and there is no time to waste.
Last week’s parliamentary debate on the VGH sale provided a glimpse of a stronger party rallying around a singlecause. Only if it is consistently united can the PN be an effective Opposition.
Delia and his supporters must realise one thing: it was not the party’s emphasis on good governance that lost it the election by such a big margin but mainly Labour’s success in the economy. All this talk of being a positive or negative Opposition is simply a diversion, bait laid by the government swallowed hook, line and sinker by Delia.
The Sunday Times of Malta endorsed Chris Said in the PN leadership race, but it is now time to move on. The country cannot afford to have, as its main opposition, a party abandoned by so many of its voters, especially when government dealings need to be more meticulously scrutinised than ever.
If the PN continues to lose ground, as shown in the surveys, Labour could be re-elected with a majority so large it would be able to change the Constitution unilaterally.
Now that’s a chilling thought.
This is a Times of Malta print editorial