Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1282292
7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 26 AUGUST 2020 NEWS ANALYSIS members, which would force Delia to concede and accept Grech as the new party leader. The worse scenario for Grech would be one in which Delia continues to present himself as the legitimate party leader, dethroned by a hidden estab- lishment which is using Grech as a pawn. Delia's absolution But if Delia is accepted as an eligible candidate, he could well end up interpreting this as a clear absolution from al- leged improprieties including his links to the Soho brothels and reports that he had fallen behind on his tax obligations, failing to declare how much he earned in 2018 to the tax au- thorities. And while the first alle- gations may be to complex for the due dil- igence board to investigate, the due dili- gence commit- tee is obliged to investigate whether the financial sit- uation of any of the two ri- val candidates exposes them to blackmail or weakens their political standing. In accepting the eligibility of a bankrupt b u s i n e s s m e n would be questionable. But if Delia is allowed to contest, he will be in a position to present himself as a victim of allega- tions, which have now been de- bunked by party organs. This may well revive his for- tunes among party members who might see this as confir- mation of the rebels' dishonest tactics to sabotage Delia and prevent him from consolidat- ing his leadership. The council's quandary Still if the due diligence pro- cess pokes more holes in De- lia's reputation, the Admin- istrative council which has to take the final decision will find itself in a quandary. For the council will be ex- pected to base its decision on a report prepared by the com- mission conducting the due diligence. It can only ignore the report at the party's peril. For if the council approves Delia's candidature despite doubts in the due diligence re- port it would set a bad example undermining the party's claim to high standards of govern- ance. Moreover in the name of transparency the party will be expected to publish the due diligence reports on both can- didates. Moreover publish- ing the reports would save the party the em- b a r r a s s m e n t of the reports being leaked by individual members of the administrative council. If members proceed to elect a candi- date who did not even pass a due diligence test in his par- ty, they would be condemn- ing the party to electoral obliv- ion. For the report will become a m m u n i t i o n , which Labour, can use against a re-elected Delia. Moreover if the com- mission also finds any black spots in Bernard Grech's af- fairs, the party would be in an even more precarious situa- tion. For Grech prides himself on not being crippled by any baggage. One way out of the quandary would be for the Administra- tive Council to publish the due diligence reports in their en- tirety while allowing both can- didates to stand and fight it off. Ultimately this may be safest option for a party, which can- not afford a divisive aftermath after a divisive contest. Hurdle for Delia, Catch-22 for Grech Excluding Delia from the race would not only limit the contest to a one horse race, but would deny members the opportunity of choosing the new leader What happens now • Kummissjoni Kandidati conducts due diligence process, which has to be concluded within six weeks. • Commission presents report to Administrative Council with clear recommendation whether candidates are fit to contest. • Administrative Council decides on candidates deemed fit to contest. • Members vote if both Delia and Grech are allowed to contest. Councillors vote if only one candidate is allowed to contest.