Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1141804
17 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 JULY 2019 INTERVIEW of party members, even if the reform was actually enacted under predecessor Simon Bu- suttil's leadership. Galea insists that on this mat- ter he was speaking his mind and expressing a personal opinion. "If I find that the ma- jority of party members and organs prefer this system, I will not propose any reform of the way the leader is elected." When asked whether his view contrasts with what is taking place in most European par- ties where members have a greater say in electing party leaders, Galea replies that he is not "against party members in- forming the decisions of party organs. What I am questioning is the method used." Galea's curriculum vitae Even in Labour quarters, Galea cannot be easily dis- missed as a lightweight who is past his expiry date. Sure enough, young voters barely remember Galea and his ap- pointment may amplify the perception of a geriatric party. But Galea may still have the acumen to understand social change in Maltese society and the ability to translate this in political action, a quality which has been very much lacking in the PN in the last decade. In fact, Galea comes to the party's rescue with an impres- sive curriculum vitae. Through- out his career he stood out as a visionary, a shrewd strategist and organiser but also as con- stituency heavyweight. He also found himself at the centre of allegations of political patron- age, which back then he denied, notably in the Auxiliary Work- ers Training Scheme and the renting of machinery used in the scheme, something which may jar with the party's anti- corruption crusades in more recent times. Part of his success was derived from the fact that he defied his own party's historical "elitism" and his ease in communicat- ing with a southern and more working-class and rural audi- ence, incidentally that very category which has abandoned the PN in droves in the past decade. Back in 1968, Galea was one of the organisers of the Campaign for Better Housing in a country ravaged by speculation and ris- ing property prices. An acolyte of the philosopher-priest Peter Serracino Inglott, Galea identi- fied with left-leaning elements in European Christian Democ- racy, and was instrumental in persuading the PN to accept the welfare state and other so- cial reforms enacted by Dom Mintoff. As secretary-general of the Nationalist Party from 1977 to 1987, he was instru- mental in setting up new party clubs throughout Malta and Gozo while founding its youth and women branches, as well as a workers' secretariat. Internally he was also per- ceived as more socially liberal than Fenech Adami and Law- rence Gonzi, participating in the first pride march organised by the Malta Gay Rights Move- ment in July 2004. Party insiders even recall his scepticism – never made pub- lic – on the agreement with the Holy See which gave the Mal- tese Archdiocese first recogni- tion on decisions made by the Ecclesiastical tribunals on mar- riage annulments. He was also popular in southwestern locali- ties like Mqabba and Siggiewi where the party is currently in full retreat. Yet he only came a distant third in the leadership contest in 2004, which may well have been a reflection of the fact that it was Lawrence Gonzi, not him, who had se- cured the support of the party's establishment. And after being elected in sev- en consecutive elections since 1976, his political career was abruptly terminated in 2008 in a campaign where the party de- liberately side-lined old-timers to drill home the 'GonziPN' message. He was pipped to the House by newcomer Franco Debono. But he still left a mark on that 2008 electoral campaign, by coining the "repeater class" mantra, to denigrate Labour's reception class proposal for primary school pupils. Galea's reaction to his exclusion from parliament, telling a PBS inter- viewer that he would dedicate his time to piano lessons, was testimony to his stoicism. Yet the political animal in Galea was not extinguished. In contrast to his reticence in opening up to the media when he was minister, Galea now seems to relish the limelight from his new role as party re- former. Perhaps this is because he now has little to lose, despite walking into a political mine- field. What may be at stake is his reputation as a 'fixer' of a party which he helped reform in very different circumstances 40 years ago. With no lead- ership ambitions of his own, Galea can only hope that his proposals are carried forward by a leader who is willing to lis- ten and enforce. After all he himself says that he will be simply "taking the horse to the water" and not "making it drink." But what if the horse refuses to drink?