Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1395902
MATTHEW VELLA THE Nationalist Party can- didate for the European elec- tions, Peter Agius, is set to be appointed chief PN spokesper- son to lead the party's outreach efforts. Agius is expected to take a leading role in the party's efforts to reach out to new voters and interest groups. Agius garnered over 10,400 votes in the 2019 European elections, the fourth highest in the PN line-up, preceded by Frank Psaila and incum- bent MEPs David Casa and Roberta Metsola. His campaigning efforts continued in the subsequent years with his messaging fo- cused on core issues of EU competence, funding, as well as agricultural concerns and food safety. Agius's choice by par- ty leader Bernard Grech is meant to give additional im- petus to the party's commu- nication efforts to reach out to a wider electorate. He will be tasked to "revive interest in the PN" – as one source described the appoint- ment – by spreading the PN message through new ways of communication and updated use of traditional methods. The insider indicated that Agius's role will include the coordination of voices in Bernard Grech's announced 'partnership of ideas' through which Grech hopes to secure popular approval by reaching out to those on the fringes of politics. Agius was previously in charge of the institutional campaign for the European Parliament elections in 2014 in his role of head of the Euro- pean Parliament office in Mal- ta. He later joined the team of European Parliament presi- dent Antonio Tajani. "This is a critical moment for the PN and the country and I want to respond to my duties as a citizen, as a father and as a political activist by doing my part to ensure that Malta has a strong alternative to the current labour government," Agius said in a comment to MaltaToday. "I will use recent experienc- es of campaigning all across our islands as MEP candidate to good use by contributing to a fresher perspective in the message of the PN to reach younger generations and vot- ers without political affilia- tion. I call on all of those of good will to join in this effort." 15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 25 JULY 2021 NEWS congress – and crucially no tradition of dissent in Labour, as amply demonstrated by the lack of any internal rebellion after the events in the past years – it is extremely unlikely that anyone elected on the Labour ticket would enjoy the freedom to shake the system from within. Minority voices in Labour can only prosper in a situation where the gap between parties is re- duced, as otherwise the government will find it easy to ignore any signs of internal dissent. Are small parties doomed? In such a context, small parties like ADPD or Volt may well remain the option closest to the values of liberal and left-wing voters who shun the PN but would like to punish Labour. But once again the problem is the effectiveness of such a vote, especially because the current c r o p of third party leaders is so uninspiring that their shambolic parties increas- ingly look like a historical d e a d 0 e n d . This may increase the temptation not to vote at all, in the hope that abstaining would clear the ground for a future political experiment. Hubris can also be tempting. Still, in the full certainty that Labour will win, some voters may be feeling freer in experimenting with their vote. The success of independents like Steve Zammit Lupi at local level may be an exam- ple worth emulating on a district level. But at this stage voters may be more interested in blowing a big "raspberry" with their vote in a sign of insurgency. The insurgency could take the shape of an absurdist subversion, like that of clog- ging the system by fielding a large number of in- dependent candidates, all demanding their fair al- location of TV air-time and using this in the most creative ways. Up until now, the greatest limit for serious third parties has either been their inability to work with- in the system by campaigning hard to get elected through vote transfers in particular districts or short of that by ditching any preten- sions for seriousness by providing an outlet for a playful and witty Bis-Serjetà kinds of insurgency. This may well be dismissed as fantasy politics. But isn't imag- ination the key to change? PN appoints Peter Agius as chief spokesperson MEP candidate will be responsible to lead party's outreach efforts