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2 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 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 JULY 2020 Delia should go: but at what cost for the Opposition? Editorial THIS newspaper's editorial position on Adrian Delia has been made clear time and again. For various rea- sons, he is not the man to lead the PN right now. An Opposition leader cannot function if mistrusted by his MPs; still less, with a public rift that is now split- ting the PN in name, and possibly also literally. Regardless of the fact that he was elected by the popular vote of his party members, whose voices de- serve to be heard, Delia is in a quandary that leaves him unable to fulfil his Constitutional mandate with the necessary serenity he needs, and which needs to be imparted to the electorate. Clearly, there must be an exit strategy. Nonetheless, the PN's impatient rebels have chosen a storming course of action that may backfire on the party. This is already their fourth attempt at getting Delia out: a process that has hardened hearts in a PN that is seemingly divided between those who favour Delia's strongman appeal – which finds favour in the PN's working-class base – and a more middle-class, part-liberal, part-conservative cohort that supported Simon Busuttil wholeheartedly as heir to Lawrence Gonzi, and which believes Delia is unable to fight the anti-corruption battle for various reasons. Add to this heady mix his marital problems (which keep being weaponised against him), and his financial misfor- tunes. What is clear is that the PN is missing a leader that unites both factions, the kind of inspirational leader it had with Eddie Fenech Adami, back in a time of need for the nation. The big risk here is that the bad blood inside the PN could linger for years to come, making it impossible to reconcile the factions. All along, however, there were other options. Delia's rebels could have propped him up until the next general election, which would have surely seen him crash and burn: thereby necessitating the only honourable way out. But they refused to do this; perhaps out of fear that Delia might actually succeed in narrowing the gap with Labour, thereby encouraging him to stay on. Whatever the fear of that scenario, the rebels' course of action has infected a wound inside the PN, even if it was in the course of making a necessary amputation. That wound is this pronounced division between the party elites and its dynasties, and the rest of its party grassroots from which it seems to demand unques- tionable loyalty. Today this rift is clearer than ever. And if a real split occurs, putting back the pieces will only happen when a new generation of political lead- ers comes to the fore. Now, Malta has been plunged into a constitutional crisis after Delia refused to heed the no-confidence vote of his parliamentary group. Delia insists he is the lawfully elected leader of his party; and in truth, he is. That makes him the leader of the largest single opposition party in the House, and therefore the President of the Republic is obliged to appoint him Opposition leader. But now there are 17 MPs of that group who do not recognise him as such, and want Therese Comodini Cachia to take over. The President is actively encour- aged to take note of this development and appoint as Opposition leader the person who commands the support of the largest single group in the House in op- position to the government. Yet some views differ on the all-important Article 90 (4) of the Constitution. Do the 17 rebel MPs constitute a "single group" in the House, or are they still PN MPs? Delia defiantly insists that as long as these MPs re- main members of the PN's parliamentary group, he is the Opposition leader as the elected leader of the PN. With this logic, one deduces that should those 17 MPs break away from the PN, they would be constitution- ally regarded as the largest single group in the House: in which case Comodini Cachia would have to be rec- ognised as the new Opposition leader. There is a feeling that Delia's supporters are ready to encourage a formal split to ensure their vote in 2017 to elect Delia is upheld, with consequences taken to their logical extreme. The rebels want Delia decimated in a process that will finally take him once again to an election, this time having to face off Comodini Cachia in a vote for the party members. Yet we must also ask another question: in seeing the state of the Opposition in the face of the corruption allegations swamping the government, and with the need to keep scrutinising the Labour administration on crucial governance and constitutional reforms… if Delia really were a leader of goodwill, would he not have emerged from that parliamentary group meeting humbled by the vote of no-confidence, and announced his resignation? Delia obviously believes he is made of sterner stuff. And by putting on such a display of fighting spirit, he has arguably boosted his own popularity among his faction's supporters. This has so far worked to Delia's advantage… but is it good for the nation? The logical answer is no. Only a strong Opposition can give a powerful government a run for its money that is needed. And Delia himself cannot provide that. 12 July 2010 MEPA changing goalposts for White Rocks development THE Malta Environment and Planning Au- thority (MEPA) is changing the goal posts for development at White Rocks by altering planning parameters which regulate develop- ment in the area, now earmarked for sports facilities and 300 apartments. A stretch of protected karstland set between the abandoned White Rocks complex and the AFM's shooting ranges has also been includ- ed in a site plan which sets the parameters for the proposed sports and residential white rocks development. The area is designated as a Special Area of Conservation and a Natura 2000 site endowed with a 'level 3' protection — which excludes residential, commercial or tourism develop- ment but allows small scale interventions. The site map published on the MEPA web site last Friday limits development at White Rocks to the existing abandoned complex and this stretch of land on its eastern flank. Back in 2001, MEPA had rejected a golf course which included this stretch of karstland. A spokesperson for Parliamentary secretary for Sports Clyde Puli confirmed that develop- ment will be limited to the zone indicated on this site plan. A legally binding development brief ap- proved way back in 1995 had previously lim- ited any development to the zone currently occupied by the existing complex. Subsequently, the North Harbour Local Plan approved in 2006 had designated the en- tire site as a 'public open space'. Replying to questions sent by MaltaToday on whether the 1995 Development brief is still legally binding, the government's spokes- person announced that MEPA "had started a process leading to a partial review of the North Harbour Local Plan and the White Rocks Development brief." MEPA has issued a call for public consulta- tion in which the public has six weeks to com- ment on changes to the North Harbour Local Plan set to change the designation of the site from a 'public open space' to one forming 'part of the White Rocks Area Development Brief.' ... Quote of the Week "I am still PN leader and will continue to shoul- der my responsibilities. I will not take a step back and will not abandon the PN. I will not abandon those who love our country." Adrian Delia, in a televised address following a meeting with the President after PN MPs proposed Therese Comodini Cachia as Opposition leader MaltaToday 10 years ago