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6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 MARCH 2022 OPINION 2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt 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 • 15 JUNE 2025 Metsola's Houdini act: Dodge, vanish and leave Editorial IT'S not been a particularly good week for the Na- tionalist Party. After Bernard Grech's shock resig- nation announcement, the party was held at ran- som by its star performer Roberta Metsola, whom many expected to take over. She finally made up her mind on Saturday with a laborious explanation justifying her decision to stay put in Brussels. While the expectation had been building over the past few months that a change in the PN leadership was in the offing, no one was expect- ing this particular timing. The general under- standing was that a negotiated transition would take place to ensure Roberta Metsola could take over the party reins. After all, there is widespread consensus in the party that she is best-placed to bring the different factions together, give the PN a modern identity and provide a strategic direc- tion to take the party out of its current predica- ment. But it seems Grech had enough of Metsola's posturing—she was acting like a Messiah; es- pousing lofty ideals about hope and change, while at the same time being ambiguous about her PN leadership intentions. Metsola kept giving mixed messages. In a series of interviews, she gave at the start of the year— to Saviour Balzan on Xtra, Andrew Azzopardi on RTK, Tim Diacono on Lovin—Metsola made direct and pointed incursions into the Maltese political scene. She talked about reforms she would like to see taking place in the country, hit out at the prime minister over his confused stand on defence spending, and generally sounded like someone who was on the cusp of taking charge of the Opposition. It gave PN supporters hope; triggering an en- thusiasm that has so far eluded the PN. Her gath- erings in Malta for constituents became large events because people flocked to see her, meet her and hear her. And yet, she continued to dodge the key ques- tion: Will you return to Malta to lead the PN? Her replies were neither here nor there; hinting at a return without giving detail. Triggering hope but at the end of the day, delivering inertia. Metsola's larger-than-life persona left the PN in a Catch 22 situation—it wanted to move for- ward with ideas and proposals but people did not believe it could win unless Metsola returned to Pietà from Brussels. With the Labour Party taking concrete steps to address internal disquiet in the aftermath of its dismal performance in last year's European elec- tion, polling results this year indicated a gradual shift in tide. The PL managed to stem abstention among its core voters and with another strong budget under its belt, people entered the new year with more money in their pockets. The PN found itself once again on the back foot; dogged by petty squabbles that saw the Opposi- tion hit out at the Speaker, the botched handling of the Manoel Island saga, a growing abstention rate among core voters and a small but sustained haemorrhage of votes to third parties despite some gains from the PL. The last MaltaToday survey was the straw that broke the camel's back. It confirmed Grech's in- ability to inspire and put the PN, 39,000 votes below the PL. And then Grech decided to press the nuclear button and resign with no ifs and buts. It was ostensibly one of the toughest decisions he took in five years. It may have been premature but at this stage it was also about preserving per- sonal dignity. He could no longer function as the stop-gap leader while almost everybody else in the party, its supporters and the wider electorate was ex- pecting Metsola to return. The paralysis this cre- ated was harming the PN and putting him in an uncomfortable position. Within this context, his decision to finally call it a day and kick off a leadership race may have been rash—some would argue irresponsible in the absence of a succession plan—but complete- ly understandable. Meanwhile, with the leader's post now vacant, Metsola vanished. Her radio silence spoke vol- umes. She avoided speaking to journalists—Mal- tese and foreign. And finally, her Houdini act ended with a bow and goodbye. She did not want to get burnt in the Maltese sun. Metsola's reasons for doing so may be person- ally and politically justified. One can also under- stand that her position in EU institutions comes with responsibilities that cannot simply be put aside, especially in a period of international tur- moil. But she could have saved the party from uncertainty by declaring that she can only come back to Malta in whatever role after the expiry of her term. Playing with the hearts and minds of PN sup- porters was unfair. A politician should either lead, follow or get out of the way. A judicious politician can lead but also have the humility to know when to follow. Unfortunately, Metsola chose to sit on the fence and that is the hardest thing to fathom, now that she chose Brussels over Malta. Product Metsola has been dented and it's all of her own making. Quote of the Week "The seat of the leader of the Nationalist Party is now vacant… now is the moment for [others] to step forward. When you want to do your country good, it's not a question of timing… it's not when it best suits you, but when it best suits your country and the party you love." Bernard Grech on NET TV after resigning from PN leader, delivering a subtle dig towards Roberta Metsola, who has not declared whether she intends contesting for the leadership despite enjoying widespread support within the party's structures. MaltaToday 10 years ago Gaffarena set ball rolling in expropriation saga 14 June 2015 IT was property owner Marco Gaffarena who personally petitioned the Government Property Division to have his share of the Valletta palaz- zo on Old Mint Street expropriated during the summer of 2014. The revelation comes from an exclusive interview with parliamentary secretary for planning Michael Falzon, who despite rubber-stamping the contro- versial €1.65 million expropriation deal, is insisting he did nothing irregular. Falzon has admitted receiving Marco Gaffarena at his office at Auberge de Castille, and that he told the property owner that any matters relating to the expropriation of his land should be discussed solely with the Government Property Division. Now under pressure over the compensation deal, Falzon has admitted having gone hunting with Gaffarena in the past, but denied having accepted any political donations from Gaffarena despite his friendship. "Gaffarena came to speak to me on several issues, much like others like [construction magnates] Nazzareno Vassallo and Charles Polidano do," Falzon said. "I receive people on a daily basis. On this par- ticular case I made it clear to him that the matter should only be discussed with the GPD." Falzon did not rule out that Gaffarena was allowed by the GPD to personally select the lands he should receive in exchange for the Valletta expropriation. ...