Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1141804
16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 JULY 2019 INTERVIEW BY coming to his beleaguered Nationalist Party's rescue, the evergreen Louis Galea, 71, erst- while minister of education and party secretary-general, has given new hope to disillusioned veteran supporters who fondly remember his role restoring the party's fortunes in the late 1970s. But does this blast from the party's past risk creating an even greater cacophony of voic- es in a party already riddled by factional divides? Louis Galea's appointment by embattled PN leader Adrian Delia on the eve of a confidence vote to oversee party reform, in his new role as president of the Nationalist Party's think-tank AZAD, has been unanimously approved in the party's execu- tive committee, which includes both loyalists and rebels. But how can he succeed in his bid to rebuild the party in a veritable minefield of factional divides and loyalties? Galea immediately makes it clear that his role is not lim- ited to writing a report to be prepared in a year's time. "The words used were very clear... I was invited to lead a process of party reform and I will engage in this process hands down, ir- respective of all the rubble there is, and my sole aim is to build, with the aim of making the party relevant, and to improve organisational structures," the PN grandee, a former member of the European Court of Audi- tors, says. Galea insists that the final re- port will reflect his work dur- ing the next year. "I intend to meet people from both within and outside the party and to or- ganise focus groups to come up with concrete proposals." Topping his agenda is the per- tinent question of party iden- tity, which he says "needs to be redefined." "But I will not prejudice any issue by expressing myself now on how the party should define itself. I have to listen to what others have to say," he insists. "In this process I want AZAD to once again become an in- cubator of renewal and ideas which reaches beyond the par- ty's boundaries." Dealing with the factional divide Party insiders speaking to MaltaToday believe that by giving a carte blanche to a grandee respected by rival fac- tions, Adrian Delia is showing goodwill to all. They point out that Delia has shown that he harbours no grudge towards Louis Galea, who chaired an ethics committee before the 2017 leadership contest which concluded that Delia had failed to clearly explain the existence of a Jersey bank account in his name, its use and the legality of funds transferred through the same account. Others from rival factions in the party think that Delia may be simply playing for time, in the hope of weathering the storm, and having his power consolidated before Galea even finishes his work in a year's time. In fact, some even fear that Galea may bring 'legitimacy' to the leader they ultimately per- ceive as the root of the party's problems. Old-timers point out that Galea tends to be his own man and cannot be easily pigeon- holed in the current divide, be- ing ideologically distant from Delia's social conservatism. But his way of doing politics is alien to the shenanigans of some of the rebel MPs. Galea himself is keen to em- phasise that his role has nothing to do with mediating between Delia and those who want him to resign. "My role is not that of mediating on the leadership issue. One has to let that issue take its course". Neither does he harbour any interest in serving as an inter- im leader if Delia is removed. Indeed, he is very categorical. "I rule out that immediately," he replies when asked on this possibility. "I am a simple fa- cilitator. My task is to take the horse to the water not to make it drink." Still he sees a role in "nurtur- ing an atmosphere of reciprocal respect, reducing the acrimony which induces emotional reac- tions," Galea says, aware of the bitterness inside the PN divide. "I hope against hope that within 12 months we will re- store the cohesion, unity and sense of civil normality in the party." He also warns against the ex- ternalisation of dissent and on the social media. "The exter- nalisation of the disagreement on the social media does not in- form or educate but only serves to create cacophony and confu- sion, which is not conducive to the good of the party." But he also insists that the party must strengthen its deci- sion-making bodies to ensure that decisions reflect different sensitivities in the party. He recalls "numerous occasions" when he himself disagreed with party decisions under previous leaders. "But there has to be a decision moment after which everyone has to pull the same rope… While I believe that there should be full liberty for peo- ple to express themselves while playing at home before a deci- sion is taken, one cannot have the same liberty while playing away after a decision is taken. One cannot have both." When faced by a concrete ex- ample of rebel MP Jason Azzo- pardi speaking in parliament against the Dragonaro Casino concession extension, for which his party had voted, Galea pre- fers to speak generically on the importance of proper decision making. "We have to ensure that internal organs work prop- erly to ensure that constructive discussion takes place within them before a common posi- tion is adopted. It is important that proper discussion takes place in parliamentary group meetings." He also recognises that MPs also represent constituents and not just the party. "MPs have a special place and are also en- titled to their own views on fundamental matters of con- science." Labour may well be smelling another opportunity to pounce on the PN's internal divisions, with Galea being presented as just another chef spoiling the broth, probably welcoming the prospect of another discordant voice in the cacophony which Galea himself is set to harmo- nise. Indeed, Galea's uncharacteris- tic openness to the media may well be exploited by Labour. Predictably Labour's One TV pounced on Galea's declaration in an interview where he per- sonally disagrees with the way the leader is presently elected by rank and file members. For Galea's declaration may well be interpreted as one questioning Delia's legitimacy as the choice PN grandee LOUIS GALEA's reputation as 'fixer' of a party who helped reform in very different circumstances 40 years ago, is at stake. He himself says that he will simply be taking the horse to the water, and not making it drink. But what if that horse refuses to drink? ''I am simply a facilitator'' PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES BIANCHI James Debono jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt