Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1009910
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 1 AUGUST 2018 6 NEWS ANALYSIS 1. Simon Busuttil remains a force to be reckoned with Adrian Delia over-reached and underestimated Busut- til's internal strength when he called for his suspension from the PN's parliamentary group. In fact, a solid block of 10 MPs have publically sup- ported the former PN leader. Delia who initially remind- ed Busuttil that the party is greater than any single in- dividual ended up realising this himself, by having to bow to a deal brokered by former party leader, Lawrence Gonzi, in spite of the backing of the party's administrative council. If this 'deal' is not translated into a political agreement which puts an end to bicker- ing, the truce risks entrench- ing the present status quo, be- littling Delia and prolonging his agony. 2. The rebels have nowhere else to go Just as Adrian Delia cannot afford to go down in history as the leader under whose lead- ership the once glorious party had split, it is doubtful wheth- er this was ever the intention of the rebel MPs. By signing the deal with De- lia the rebels are expected to keep their side of the bargain, that of accepting Adrian De- lia's leadership. Delia's best hope is that through Simon Busuttil he has bought the peace in the party. If this hap- pens his U-turn would not have been in vain. Yet this comes with a risk. Busuttil has survived the greatest blow he could pos- sibly receive and survived to wait for other inquiries, which would possibly vindicate him. 3. Lawrence Gonzi may be too close to Busuttil to act as grandee Despite being thrashed in the 2013 election, Lawrence Gonzi remains a respected figure who carries the gravi- tas of a former Prime Minis- ter. He is someone the present leader has to heed. It is not clear whether De- lia bowed down to number or to pressure of numbers or to pressure from the party's old guard. But Gonzi may be consid- ered too close to Busuttil who first served as Gonzi's deputy leader after being elected in a contest against Tonio Fenech, in which he was regarded as Gonzi's favoured choice. 4. Former leaders are to be treated with respect but kept at a distance Delia has practically only managed to reverse his own decision to appoint Busuttil spokesperson for good gov- ernance. This was ill-advised as for- mer leaders are generally re- spected but kept away from formal decision-making. The role of a former party leader should always be a ceremonial one or one which sees him operating at a distance in EU institutions, to mention one example. By taking over the good gov- ernance portfolio Delia needs to clearly define where the party stands on an issue which is still a defining one for party activists but which needs to be beefed up with bread and but- ter considerations to remain relevant for the average voter. 5. The risk remains that eve- ryone will continue shooting from the hip The compromise does not even include a common agree- ment on a way forward on how the party is going to tackle the good governance issue apart from a reminder that Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri still face pending inquiries. The risk is that everyone will continue shooting from the hip at the common adversary without much consideration for the party's relevance in society as a whole. Delia can- not afford not to be informed about personal initiatives taken by individual MPs or MEPs. 6. Delia may now blame Bu- suttil if things go very wrong in MEP elections Firing randomly in the ab- sence of a common strategy will weaken the party further in the wake of MEP elections. Egrant may take off some pressure from Delia as he has put some of the blame on his party's declining fortunes on his predecessor, but galva- nised by his ability to defy De- lia now, Busuttil and his loyal- ists may feel strong enough to call Delia's leadership in ques- tion after the MEP elections. 7. Egrant remains a millstone Egrant has exposed the over- drive to turn the legitimate good governance call and calls for resignations after Panama- gate into an over-riding strug- gle against evil personified by Joseph Muscat. The conclusions of the in- quiry have turned Egrant into a millstone for the party. For it suggests that winning parti- san points in a desperate elec- tion was more important than seeking the truth. Probably this was not Busut- til's aim as he was desperately seeking a winning card and was all too ready to believe anything which fitted into his narrative. And unless he is redeemed by other inquiries, Busuttil will remind the public of the Egrant debacle every time he opens his mouth. What is sure now is that Jo- seph Muscat cannot remain the only objective which keeps the Nationalist Party unit- ed. As hinted by Delia in his non-rhyming poem which he posted on Facebook, the par- ty needs to reclaim the high moral ground by being less fo- cused on attacking single in- dividuals while still upholding principles of accountability. This must be accompanied by higher standards within the PN itself, including its leader- ship. 8. Delia needs a counter strategy to Muscat's blitz Delia also needs a counter strategy to Muscat's orches- trated strategy to use the Egrant inquiry to whitewash Panamagate once and for all and to delegitimise the Oppo- sition by politically weaponis- ing the Egrant inquiry before publishing it in full. Delia's insistence on the publication of the inquiry was justified as the PM now finds himself in the privileged posi- tion of deciding the timing of the full publication of the full report, thus creating a valu- able time gap during which political truths can be estab- lished. 9. The PN is still defined by its recent past Despite enjoying the legiti- macy of being the first party leader to be elected by mem- bers Delia has so far not left Better together or forced Delia has backtracked on 'suspending' Busuttil from his parliamentary group while reversing his decision in February to appoint him in his shadow cabinet. James Debono tries to analyse how this ties up with the balance of forces within the Nationalist Party