Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1492662
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 15 FEBRUARY 2023 NEWS NEWS ANALYSIS IN a frank speech at the end of the PN's annual general coun- cil Bernard Grech called for a change of attitude in his party: "We still look down on people. Nobody is better than anybody. We need to believe this – that nobody is worse than us and we are not better than anyone else." But how can a party historically associated with the pretensions of traditional elites reinvent it- self once again as a mass party with a reform-minded agenda? 1. The PN needs to come to terms with its history The PN has a history of looking down at those who do not con- form with the moral yardstick set by a privileged elite. This of- ten manifested itself in prejudice against particular social groups on grounds of class, political affiliation, religion and sexual identity. In more recent times the par- ty is often associated with the views, often expressed in rants on social media, of some of its most privileged supporters, who lament the moral degeneration under Labour. While the criticism of La- bour's track record on govern- ance is justified, the narrative that everything is going to the dogs due to some defect in La- bour's genetic make-up is not just wrong but also counter- productive. Moreover, instead of fighting the noble battle for fairness and equal opportunities, the battle against corruption is often misconstrued as the expo- sure and condemnation of the undeserving bogans who have hijacked the country. Breaking from this cycle is vi- tal. But this requires a paradigm shift similar to that experienced by the party in the 1980s when the party had broadened its ap- peal beyond this restricted co- hort. It did so not only by en- dorsing the welfare state, but also by promoting laissez faire in sectors like construction, which enabled a sizeable chunk of the population to become little rich people. It was also in this context that a few unsophisticated building contractors like Charles Pol- idano, Salvu Ellul and Zaren Vassallo rose to the top to rival the traditional upper class in terms of power and influence. But for the past decade the PN has been in political wilderness, associated with the resentment of a privileged elite who simply resent the fact that others who are deemed unworthy of their same privileges have joined their ranks. And while Labour's policies have created havoc in matters like construction rules, the re- sentment of some social media pundits associated with the PN is often motivated by antipathy towards bogans whose greatest sin is not the unfair advantages they enjoy but their association with Labour. The party can still express its opposition to Labour's own laissez faire policies by advocat- ing an alternative vision instead based on fairness and equal op- portunities for all. 2. The PN needs a vision that broadens its appeal instead of lashing out at Labour voters PN supporters are often in the habit of lashing out at ordinary Bernard Grech's epiphany: 5 ways Like Adrian Delia before him when addressing the party's general council on Sunday, Bernard Grech suggested that one of the PN's major problems is the self-righteous habit of 'looking down on people'. JAMES DEBONO makes five suggestions on how the PN can rid itself of its toxic elitism and respecting people's intelligence