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6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 9 JANUARY 2019 NEWS ANALYSIS JAMES DEBONO POLITICAL wisdom nor- mally dictates that leaders project unity rather than disunity, fully knowing that divided parties are shunned by the electorate. So why is Adrian Delia call- ing out "traitors" five months before crucial mid-term elec- tions which may well deter- mine whether he stays on as leader or not? Alfred Sant's dramatic showdown with Dom Mintoff in 1998 and Lawrence Gonzi's troubles with backbenchers before 2013 stand out as his- torical lessons on the fatal consequences of disunity on political parties. While De- lia's present plight – which has seen him subjected to the humiliation of having details of his family life di- vulged on the social media – is unprecedented, his aggres- sive reaction suggests that he is fighting a battle for his own survival rather than one meant to revive his party's de- clining fortunes. 1. Delia is exasperated and has had enough After being thwarted by his own parliamentary group when he tried to sack former leader Simon Busuttil in the wake of the publication of the Egrant inquiry, Delia tried his best at restoring a semblance of party unity by taking a firm stance on the 17 Black revela- tions. This approach seemed to have paid off with PN voters, among which trust in Delia had shot up from 45% to 60% according to MaltaToday's latest poll. But after the latest calls for his resignation, not only by the likes of Occupy Justice but also by unnamed high-ranking party represent- atives in comments made to the media, he seems to have lost hope in reconciliation and has embarked on the war path. Recent events may have embittered Delia who may be feeling hurt by the attempt to use his personal misfortunes to put his leadership in ques- tion. Moreover he has prob- ably come to the conclusion that those who did not ac- cept him from the moment he was elected leader by party members will never do so. Short of resigning, the only option left for him is to fight to win. Yet in doing so, Delia risks scorching the earth be- neath him, losing more inter- nal support among those who may have been willing to give him a chance but are now ap- palled by his confrontational approach. 2. Delia thinks the time has come for him to impose himself on the party With the party in a perpet- ual state of unrest, Delia may have come to the conclusion that unity can only be im- posed with a heavy hand. Delia may be aware that vot- ers shun divided parties like his and has therefore decided to ride roughshod on oppo- nents. Delia insists that "who- ever is not behind me should not be in the party." In so doing he is forgetting that in a democracy the party is considered to be greater than its leader. Delia may be forgetting that the PN is by its very nature a big-tent party and that strongmen politi- cians are anathema in Chris- tian democratic parties. Even under Eddie Fenech Adami, whose solid leadership was never internally questioned, people with very different mentalities co-existed with each other and unity was achieved through a common sense of purpose. Delia has so far failed in giving a common sense of purpose which can unite the party's different fac- tions and schools of thought. The fear that Delia will un- leash an army of sycophants to impose his authority may well backfire among the par- ty's middle-ground which had its concerns on Delia's lead- ership but was willing to give him a chance. 3. Delia believes that re- cent events have strength- ened him Delia may well be banking on the revulsion felt by many, including floaters and some Labour supporters, at the in- vasion of his privacy during the Christmas festivities. Delia may also be under the impression that while his parliamentary group remains hostile he has gained more sympathy among PN mem- bers and voters. Yet he seems to underestimate the concern among those who cringe at the prospect of voting for someone tainted by domestic violence allegations. He also seems to forget that sympathy does not necessarily translate in political support for the Nationalist Party. In fact, despite receiving ku- dos from government poster boys like advisor Robert Mu- sumeci, Delia has so far made no political inroads among Labour voters. Moreover De- lia's greatest problem is that a substantial segment of PN voters does not trust him and would not vote for him. If he fails to recover this category he can't aspire to close the gap with Labour, let alone as- pire to win. Moreover the data leak seems to go beyond his per- sonal family affairs and has also exposed his questionable financial dealings with an in- surance company on behalf of the party, to scrutiny. The fact that he has been exposed to a data leak raises questions on his suitability as party leader. For what if material taken from this data leak crops up on the eve of a general elec- tion? 4. Delia wants his enemies to come out in the open Delia wants a showdown and is irritated by the fact that none of his internal adversar- ies in the parliamentary group have so far came out in the open to ask for his resigna- tion. Some may even fear that his intention is to bring them out in the open to commence a purge. Yet Delia's declaration of war may well remain un- answered, perpetuating his frustration at fighting a bat- tle with ghosts. Moreover the prospect of an impending day of reckoning may well back- fire on Delia who may see all those threatened by a purge uniting against him. Delia had already over- reached himself in summer when he asked for Simon Bu- suttil's resignation from the parliamentary group. While nobody protested against his decision to remove Busut- til from good governance spokesperson, kicking out Bu- suttil from the parliamentary group was a step too far even for those who were not par- ticularly close to the former PN leader. Delia may also see this as an occasion to once again pre- sent himself as the anti-estab- lishment candidate fighting an old guard which was never ready to give him a chance. But while this tactic worked well for Jeremy Corbyn among Labour voters in the UK and Donald Trump among repub- Five reasons why Delia has declared 'war on Delia's declaration of war may well remain unanswered, perpetuating his frustration at fighting a battle with ghosts