Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1393937
14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 JULY 2021 NEWS THE Nationalist Party and its leaders have been trailing badly in the polls ever since the 2017 general election delivered a thumping defeat. A change in leader last year led to some improvement but the gap between PN leader Ber- nard Grech and his political ri- val Robert Abela remains wide. In the last MaltaToday sur- vey Grech's trust rating stood at 30.4%. Since his election as leader last September, Grech's highest rating reached 35.8% and his lowest 25.7%. A pandemic, greylisting, crim- inal action on money launder- ing by people who were close to the Labour government and damning claims against Ro- sianne Cutajar over a property deal involving Yorgen Fenech, have done little to dent Abe- la's trust rating and his party's standing in the polls. Unable to make much pro- gress in the polls despite hav- ing gone through the trouble of changing its leader, it was inev- itable for the PN to search for solutions. The Peregin dilemmas And one of the solutions was roping in Lovin Malta founder Christian Peregin last week as chief strategist. Undoubtedly, Peregin's skills set will give the PN more bite in imagery, coherent messaging, delivery and outreach. But his ability to read the mind-set of party functionaries and supporters coming from different backgrounds to his will be tested. The PN struggles to connect with people in the south, has al- ienated the hunting communi- ty, lost its primacy in Gozo and is beholden to a faction fixated on making corruption the only important issue. What Peregin can contribute to address these lacunas still has to be seen. Indeed, Peregin's public cam- paigns through his Lovin Malta portal targeting political par- ty TV stations and rallying for cannabis legalisation will put him at loggerheads with the party he now serves. PN media employees sought assurances from the party lead- er that Peregin's engagement will not cost them their job. In an interview on Lovin Mal- ta, the day after news of his new job came out, Peregin made an indirect reference to the disqui- et among PN employees, insist- ing no one should lose their job, while insisting the court case did not seek the abolishment of political party stations. This may be the least of his problems. It remains to be seen how Peregin's pro-legalisation stand on cannabis will square up with the likes of Claudio Grech, who is totally opposed. Additionally, it will be interest- ing to see how Peregin's liberal views on abortion, IVF and gay rights will fit in with conserva- tives like Edwin Vassallo. These are only a few of the personal dilemmas Peregin will face as he tries to find the "high- er cause" that can unite these diverse elements and inspire voters to follow suite. Cart before the horse However, there is a big prob- lem because Peregin joining the PN machine does feel like put- ting the cart before the horse. Voters will not be looking at Peregin. Indeed, he will not be the face or voice of the PN. Vot- ers will be looking at the party leader and so far, Grech has failed to inspire trust. Peregin's effectiveness will on- ly be as strong as the party lead- er's effectiveness to map out a vision and lay out the steps nec- essary to achieve it. This is what happened back in 2008 when Joseph Muscat be- came leader of the Labour Par- ty. He immediately set out his vision to widen the PL's appeal to liberals, moderates and the business community. Muscat also carried out the necessary internal changes, reached out to estranged La- bourites, while making it clear that he was calling the shots. The Labour leader had articu- lated his vision clearly and this enabled him to rope in talent- ed individuals, most of who worked behind the scenes, who drove that change, fine-tuned the image and ensured the mes- sage was delivered coherently. Within this context, it does appear like the PN is trying to find its knight in shining ar- mour to save the day because everything else has failed. Peregin has tried to defuse this image and in his interview with Lovin Malta insisted that he will not be joining the PN with an attitude of 'my way or the highway'. "It's a question of open discussion, persuasion and finding common ground," he said. A déjà vu But to political observers, Peregin's move from journalism to party politics is a déjà vu of what happened in 2016 when then PN leader Simon Busuttil roped in Caroline Muscat, who was then head of news at Times of Malta. Muscat was tasked with leading the PN's electoral campaign. Ironically, just a month be- fore making the switch, Muscat had interviewed Busuttil who The PN's search for a knight in shining armour Christian Peregin's decision to join the Nationalist Party last week smacks of a déjà vu from 2016 but the Labour Party must also ask itself some questions. Kurt Sansone analyses the dilemmas Peregin's analysis of the situation may serve as a spring board for an honest appraisal within the PL of the Joseph Muscat legacy, warts and all Nice to meet you: Christian Peregin interviews his future boss, Bernard Grech