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3 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR Matthew Vella MANAGING EDITOR Saviour Balzan Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address UNDOUBTEDLY, the scale of Labour's victory was unprecedented, even though polls carried out by this newspaper had already forecast the in- clement weather ahead for the Nationalist Party. Now in his tenth electoral race since elected Labour leader in 2009, Joseph Muscat's landslide was unprecedented in the majority it achieved on the back of the events of the past two years. Even in the face of criticism levelled against La- bour, it was the government's deliverables that enabled this historic result: Muscat called it the party's "message of unity". That would be opposed to the PN's exclusionary tactics and policies, which since 2013 have made the Opposition's brand a politically toxic one. If there is someone to blame the PN's disaster for, it is Adrian Delia, who must take responsibil- ity for the inability to buttress the PN vote and the loss of a PN seat in the European Parliament. Delia had already said that he will not stand down and that his political voyage starts today. Voyages tend to be inspiring adventures presag- ing conquests and discovery. Delia's voyage so far has been ill-fated, aboard a leaky ship that is suf- fering a mutiny, and has yet to negotiate the in- clement winds of Cape Horn. Had this been a pre- dictable script, Delia would be walking the plank. The electorate's message in these elections is clear: if it stayed home or did not vote PN, the Nationalist Party's proposition as Opposition has failed to win it any inroads in Malta's political landscape. These 'abstentions' sit alongside those whose votes for MEP incumbents David Casa and Rob- erta Metsola, politicians from an anti-Delia fac- tion, have also forced the PN leader to lose the internal battle inside the PN. The turnout figures are witness to this: the ninth and tenth districts, traditional heartlands of the PN vote, and home to a socially liberal de- mographic, simply stayed at home. No Delia for them. So if the PN's beleaguered party leadership is of the impression that, two years and a half away from an election, it can regroup and rally enough support to propose itself as a government-in- waiting, it is seriously mistaken. Delia's credibility as a politician, as the outsider from the world of football whose blustering rheto- ric was about to save the day for the PN, has been severely shaken by internecine battles, his inabil- ity to consolidate internal power, the allegations of financial impropriety made against him, and an ill-advised choice of electoral battles that pushed the PN into the territory of ultra-conservatism. Even when Delia tried to speak about the rise in cost of living, on property, on the population influx, the lack of depth in his rhetoric and that of his top MPs made it unable to give the PN a coherent ideological plank for these elections. At the end, Delia's talk on European tax harmo- nisation, the 'referendum on abortion', and eco- nomic migration, just did not gel. The link with the electorate was nowhere to be seen, and the political fatigue of 2017 meant that the electorate had had enough of scaremongering tactics. Despite his popular and democratic mandate, Delia has little chance of gaining support from those who deride him. The next step is staring right is in his face. He should go, for if he stays he risks faring worse than ever in the next general election. A responsi- ble Opposition must truly take stock of its role in ensuring that Labour's insurmountable majority is given a haircut. This is not the time to argue that he was elected democratically by the members of the party. The future of a political movement very much depends on the potential of that party to win the hearts of the electorate. It can only do that with a new leader, someone who can bridge the two fac- tions in the party, command respect and launch a vision that aspires to bring the middle ground to the PN. To stay on for Delia would mean sending the PN into gradual disintegration, accelerated by party backstabbing and rifts. If he does choose to leave the solution for the PN is for the party to embrace a dynamic and forward-looking individual who will bridge the two factions together and promote a new political blueprint for the PN. That is easier said than done. Joseph Muscat's charisma and political style, and attention to economic growth and social wel- fare, make him a formidable adversary: can the PN radically pivot and attack Labour from the left-wing? It is unlikely. At a time when Malta is crying out for its own "green new deal", the largest party in opposition is unable to deliver a credible programme of re- form. Delia may not leave, because his entourage de- pends on him for their livelihood. Yesterday, top PN officials insisted they had not had enough time to change the party. The truth is that Delia never quite got off the ground. Now he could theoretically face an attack from dissenters, especially from the parliamen- tary group, to force an election contest. Refusal on the part of parliamentarians to ad- dress the future of the party and its leadership will only lead to the extinction of the Nationalist Par- ty and the dominance of Maltese politics by one party. This is neither in the interest of the society and the country. Those who militate in the PN need to act fast. The PN's future at stake Editorial maltatoday | MONDAY • 27 MAY 2019