Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1264355
13 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 JUNE 2020 NEWS Trouble in the fourth district Despite the Panama revelations, Mizzi still received 4,968 votes from the fourth district, coming a close second after PL deputy leader Chris Fearne. Like Lorry Sant before him, Mizzi was still revered in the district despite harming his party's reputation within the larger electorate. Although some of these voters may be shocked by the expulsion of their district heavyweight, these voters have nowhere else to go and will probably return to La- bour possibly after finding a new district patron. In this case, the damage to Abe- la will be temporary. Abela may also be tempted to contest the district but this may irk Chris Fearne who has now emerged as the sole district heavyweight. In the shadow of 'ix-Xih' It is clear that Abela is on a tra- jectory which puts him in collision course with Joseph Muscat, who was ultimately Konrad Mizzi's only protector. Yet it is very unlikely for Abela to go for a showdown with the former leader, who is still revered by the par- ty's grassroots. It is very unlikely for Abela to do a Sant and rebuke Muscat in front of a Labour crowd as the for- mer Labour leader had done to Mintoff in 1998. Muscat also craftily engineered his exit from the leadership by ensuring that both contenders had to pay homage to him before party members made their choice. Abela played along, presenting himself as the continuity candidate. But he may play the long game, slowly eroding his predecessor's legitimacy through con- crete actions and depriving Muscat of al- lies, while never uttering a word against him. One major problem for Abela is that he is still serving the mandate giv- en to Muscat in 2017. An early election would reinforce Abela's mandate, but that would make him even more hesitant on confronting Muscat. Another problem is that Abela is per- ceived as owing his victory against Fearne to Muscat and his clan. If Muscat remains untouched by investigations on the scan- dals, Abela risks being seen as Muscat's protector. If Muscat is in any way dam- aged, Abela risks incurring the wrath of a bitter former party leader. Abela's best bet would be Muscat's departure from the political scene. But to get there, Mus- cat may himself demand assurances that his legacy in the party is protected. A boomerang for Delia The Montenegro scandal was another opportunity for PN leader Adrian Delia to shine and stand out as a leader in the party's battle against corruption. Yet once again, Delia has found himself on the receiving end of damaging allegations, which weigh heavily on his tenure as PN leader. The damage for Delia is magnified be- cause the accusation was first made by now Nationalist MP David Thake dur- ing a Xarabank programme in June 2019, when he asked Delia whether he knew that the PN had been offered €50,000 by Yorgen Fenech to pre- vent MEP David Casa's re-elec- tion. Yorgen Fenech had im- mediately denied making this offer. Nevertheless, the claim was repeated this month by the middleman in the Caruana Galizia assassination, Melvin Theuma, who testified in the public inquiry that Delia had been offered money by Fenech to halt Casa's re-election. Earlier this week Joseph Muscat's for- mer chief of staff Keith Schembri, while testifying in the compilation of evidence against Fenech, said the businessman had told him that Delia asked for €50,000 in exchange for ob- structing Casa's re-election attempt. Schembri also said that former PN head of media Pierre Portelli would regularly collect €20,000 payments from Fenech. ONE TV presenter Karl Stagno Navarra alleged on his Pjazza programme that Fenech had offered Delia €250,000 to stop Casa's re-election. A yardstick which backfired on Delia Delia finds himself under a formal po- lice investigation. This inevitably raises the question: can the Opposition afford to have a leader who is being investigat- ed by the police? Delia may convincingly rebut arguing that he can prove his inno- cence and that it would be unfair for him to resign now and to be cleared from the allegations later. However, the problem is that his defence sounds uncannily similar to that of Mizzi and Schembri. In this way after expelling Mizzi, Abela is in a strong- er position to turn the tables on Delia. For after ridding himself of the Mizzi alba- tross, Abela will argue that he has raised a higher bar than the PN itself. Surely while allegations against Delia are based on hearsay, Mizzi and Schem- bri's position are compounded by the undeniable existence of secret companies and their financial link to 17 Black. Delia can also turn the tables back on Labour by arguing that propagandists like Karl Stagna Navarra cannot lend credibility to claims by Fenech on him, while dismiss- ing others which cast a dark shadow on Schembri and Muscat. However, Delia's position is further compounded by the baggage of Soho alle- gations he carried before becoming leader and by lingering doubts on his character among a substantial number of PN voters, activists and MPs. The nature of the lat- est allegation itself, that of being bribed to unseat the party's most vocal MEP during the Panama saga, cuts right into the party divide. Leading a divided party Delia's major problem remains that he does not even enjoy the uncondi- tional support of his own parliamentary group. Only on Friday, Nationalist MP David Thake insisted that political responsibil- ity demanded that anyone in public office facing persistent allegations of wrongdo- ing should resign to defend themselves without tarnishing the office they hold. With corruption, the aftermath of Pan- amagate, the Caruana Galizia probe re- maining high on the agenda, and Abela himself distancing himself from the Mus- cat era, it has become even more impera- tive for the PN to be led by someone who is immune from any accusation of impro- priety. Yet the party remains in a limbo, with rebels fully knowing that any attempt to unseat Delia is bound to create a blood- bath, which would leave the party in even greater agony. The end result is that Delia is likely to contest the next election as a lame duck. For even if the economy deteriorates, vot- ers will still ask the question: who has the steadiest pair of hands: Abela who pre- sides over a united party, or Delia who presides over a divided one? Unity in Labour under Muscat had also come at a big cost. So can Abela keep the party united while taking down its cor- rupt elements? If Muscat is in any way damaged, Abela risks incurring the wrath of a bitter former party leader. Abela's best bet would be Muscat's departure from the political scene Middleman: Melvin Theuma Accused: Tumas magnate Yorgen Fenech