Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1009910
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 1 AUGUST 2018 7 NEWS ANALYSIS an imprint on policy-making and in forming a dynamic front bench which should not be necessarily restricted to present day MPs. Delia needs to change the conversation by becoming closer to the concerns of lo- cal communities. He has to become bolder in taking posi- tions. For example, he can't re- main silent on issues like the db group development. So far Delia has simply given the party a more conservative im- print, alienating people with centre-left leanings, without even matching this with co- herent policies. Nobody is discussing any policy proposed by Delia. So, inevitably, the party's identity is still defined by its past. The party needs a pro- cess similar to that undertak- en by Louis Galea in the late 1970s when it re-invented it- self as a centrist and popular party. 10. Delia needs to reach out for talent Delia has a big problem. The PN as it stants today increas- ingly looks like Labour in its KMB days and anti-EU mem- bership era; mediocre and unpresentable. On his part Delia may strike a chord with lower middle class PN voters who were shunned under Gonzi and Busuttil, but as leader he needs to reach out be- yond this constituency. Delia should now reach out to peo- ple like Roberta Metsola and Chris Said, who did not back the rebellion. It is not clear whether the faction which stood by Bu- suttil has an end game. In- dividuals like Mario de Mar- co and Claudio Grech are known to have a mind of their own. These individual MPs now have to decide whether to contribute to the party's success or not. Delia may start by co-opting those MPs who opposed his move to remove Busuttil but have experience and talent to offer. He cannot afford to punish the rebels. But he can split them if he opens the doors to those amongst them whom he he may possibly trust. The alternative to this is an even poorer front bench. One of Delia's greatest handi- caps is the widening talent gap between the two parties. Despite its shortcomings in governance the PL presently has a clear edge in setting the agenda on policy making. forced cohabitation? By taking over the good governance 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 butter considerations to remain relevant for the average voter