Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1260266
7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 17 JUNE 2020 NEWS ANALYSIS stronger party? alternative. In this sense the PN's vision is marked by a commitment for the rule of law and an uphold- ing of pluralism and multicul- turalism, which may be more in synch with these voters. Ultimately, Labour may still have more room to outmaneu- ver the PN on issues like rec- reational cannabis, where the party finds it harder to appeal to different categories of vot- ers, due to its own strong and vocal conservative roots. By moving back to the cen- tre-ground, the PN may start presenting itself as a decent, albeit more conservative alter- native to a Labour government, which despite its popularity is seriously damaged by the re- verberations from the ongoing Caruana Galizia murder probe. This inevitably raises questions on whether its top exponents are involved in a criminal con- spiracy, something bound to alienate voters who are offend- ed by this breach in trust. The other big limitations is that commitments for social justice, environmental protec- tion and higher standards in public life, will still be weighed according to the yardstick set by PN governments in the past, of which Louis Galea himself in all his complexities remains a reminder. Overall, the statute changes keeps PN as essentially a cen- trist party, which at least nom- inally uses a discourse char- acterising European centrist parties, some of which veer to the left and others to the right. In this case, the PN seems to veer more towards the left. This comes across from the party's commitment for the defence of the common good, multiculturalism, the fraterni- ty of humanity, fairer wages, social justice, the environment and respect for different cul- tures. This was to be expected with the reform process being captained by Louis Galea, the same politician who steered the party to the centre-left in the 1970s, giving the party a strong turnaround as a viable aspirational force. By steering away from archaic conservativism, the party can reinvent itself as a common space for a wide coalition of vot- ers and politicians hailing from a diversity of backgrounds. In a sense, this was a rational choice, as in this way the party can attract a wide spectrum of aspirant politicians who reflect different sensibilities on moral issues but can work together on basic issues like governance. In a two-party system, parties cannot afford to exclude sizea- ble segments of voters. A statute to thwart a leader? Yet in several ways, the iden- tity question remains unre- solved and much depends on the crop of politicians who will be carrying the message across. The other statute changes seem bent on restoring a col- legial leadership for the party where the leader is part of a wider structure. In many ways, this represents the reversal of the GonziPN strategy, which contributed to the American- isation of Maltese politics, pav- ing the way for the presidential campaign of Muscat in 2013 and 2017. One significant change in the statute is the introduction of a leadership committee com- posed of the leader, the depu- ty leader, the President of the General Council, the secretary general, the two party presi- dents and executive secretary, who are entrusted with "devis- ing the party's political strategy and ensuring its implementa- tion." While this change ensures that the party remains bigger than the leader, it may also result in a state of paralysis if the party is thorn by factional infighting. The reintroduction of one deputy leader, a system ditched by Simon Busuttil not to have to choose between Beppe Fenech Adami and Mario de Marco, will allow the replace- ment of the leader whenever he is indisposed. But this may also end up creating a strong counterweight and possibly a designated successor to Adrian Delia. Moreover, while the leader will continue to be elected by regular members, only party councillors will elect the sole deputy leader. Apart from a stronger deputy leader, the new statute resurrects the po- litical role of the secretary-gen- eral who will have wide ranging powers on key aspects like elec- toral and regional mobilisa- tion, social media campaigning and communication strategy, something that is reminiscent of strong secretary-generals like Galea himself and Austin Gatt. Overall the various changes to the party's statute bring in more checks and balances on the power of the leader. How- ever, the risk of these reforms is that of a top-heavy party, which may end up crippled if the different organs do not pull the same rope as they did when Eddie Fenech Adami was lead- er, Guido de Marco his deputy and Louis Galea general secre- tary. Overall the various changes to the party's statute bring in more checks and balances on the power of the leader. However, the risk of these reforms is that of a top-heavy party Louis Galea