Another former high ranking advisor in the PN ranks writes in. The author is known to me and writes on condition of anonymity.
The PN seems to have become professional in its efforts to become irrelevant. The Party that changed Malta, built a modern economy, opened the gates to education, carved a middle-class and propelled us to Europe seems to have not only got paralysed but is quickly descending into oblivion.
The writing has been on the wall especially for a group of us who have been actively involved in the Party. We saw that the Party was not reinventing itself probably because its leaders were more focused on governing and guiding the country through difficult economic storms and driving key reforms without which we would have been thrown into oblivion as a country. The price paid is high. Today we have an inept Party, with inept politicians, inept parliamentarians, inept structures, inept systems and inept officials.
The latest debacle on ‘il-kap’ and his troubles is yet another chapter from this comedy of errors.
Unfortunately, in all of this, emotions are running high and people are no longer reasoning logically. Due to this the Party is at a crossroad; act or crumble.
I will not go into the merits of the case. Separations have and will always happen. We as a country and even more as Nationalists have to realise that separations will happen, leaders can find new partners and can have a second opportunity. This is human nature. However, the issue is not separation. The issue is the accusation levelled against him. In this case, when in public office, you’re guilty until proven otherwise. That is why people with gravitas resign as soon as accusations surface. In Malta, this has not been the case on either side of the house which reflects the lack of collective gravitas we have as a society.
Turning back to the Party.
Leader loyalists are asking for privacy; shame on you.
Party MPs are silent; shame on you.
Party officials are rallying resilience; shame on you.
The Leader seems to have found his Franciscan spirit this Christmas and is telling us he will come out stronger; shame on you too.
Let’s start tackling them.
Loyalists, you got your priorities wrong. It is true in politics we have all rallied behind a Leader however true loyalty lies with the Party; the principles it holds dear, the policies it believes in, the political philosophy that guides it. Politicians and leaders come and go. Institutions stay. As members of the Party, your loyalty needs to be refocused and see the bigger picture.
Party MPs, you are the legislators of this country. We turn to you to legislate effectively by putting our trust in you. You legislated against domestic violence, kudos. But now with your silence you have shown that you believe that laws do not apply to everyone. Your silence is deafening and worrying. You have just destroyed the last strands of good governance and oversight you were trying to defend. We want MPs to stand up for what is right. We want MPs that are ready to go against the grain. To the women MPs, you’re an even bigger disappointment.
Party officials, you are there to run the Party on behalf of its members. Instead you have built your personal fiefdom and have over the years paralysed the structures as you saw fit. You have found refuge in the Party and are betraying the institution that is providing your livelihood.
Leader, you are there to embody a Constitutional role. You are there to rally the troops, provide vision, direction and guidance. You are there to embody gravitas and bite the bullet. You took the role, financial package too. Now take the responsibility that comes with it too. Learn when your exit point is and leave with dignity. Don’t listen to the people surrounding who are clutching to their own survival and putting their interest before yours and the Party’s. Don’t mistake resilience for hard-headedness. It will get you nowhere.
In all of this, apart from the Party, it is the country that is suffering; yes, our Malta. The country requires a strong opposition and a government in waiting. Instead we have a weak opposition, fragmented and past its expiry date.
What is needed is not only a leader’s exit but a clean sweep. Yes, the Party needs to start afresh. We need not only a strategy but a structures and a systems audit. We need change which is not emotionally driven but data driven. We need a Party that is modern in its approach, professional in its management, scientific in its method, researched in its policies. We need a Party that is agile and lean.
We have a Party that is in dire need of reform and sooner rather than later.
No half-baked solutions. No patching. No clinging to what was good in the past. No clinging to emotions about the glorious times.
Starting from a clean sweep would be a good start. The Leader starting it by stepping down himself, would be an even better start.