Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1537913
to win. His track record as the party's heavy weight in Gozo also backs his winning streak. This allows him to play it safe—say little, avoid controversy, and let Delia grapple with the ghosts of 2017 and 2020. The race, however, is taking place in the absence of any real policy debate. Both candidates are more focused on appealing to the party's various clans. These are factions bound less by ideol- ogy than by personal allegiance. Delia, to his credit, has attempted to push the envelope by criticising the party's media restrictions and calling for state funding of political parties and greater limits on private donations. Borg, meanwhile, sticks to a cautious, catch-all script. He brands himself as a mild conservative—centre-right on wealth creation, centre-left on distri- bution. But this triangulation ignores a fundamental reality that Malta's govern- ance crisis stems largely from political complicity with big business, especially in construction. In short, the motor engine fuelling economic growth is also having tangible consequences on the quality of life of citizens. Borg's refusal to commit to excluding any future extension of development zones speaks volumes. In the absence of such a commitment, his commitment to revise local plans raises more questions. His recent vote in favour of allowing the Chambray concessionaires to transfer ownership rights to other developers shows that when push comes to shove, he toes the same pro-development line that defined the PN in the 1990s, par- ticularly in Gozo. Still, Borg is also aware that over development has emerged as a top concern, which he addresses by promising to listen to everyone. But as the Chambray case illustrates, choices are in the end inevitable. Perils of 'catch-all' politics In this sense, Borg's stance fits square- ly within the managerialist mould of Maltese politics that sees elections as contests between rival administrators of the same economic model. Delia, by contrast, is more willing to ques- tion the model but remains vague or clueless on how he would change it. Borg himself rightly hints that in the absence of non-EU foreign workers the economy would collapse while De- lia has toned down his message from his days as leader, simply saying that Malta should reduce its dependence on them. What's still missing from Borg's campaign is a signature proposal—a bold policy that marks him as a gen- uine agenda-setter for the country. Instead, he appears more focused on internal party reforms. But this isn't a race for party treasurer, events organ- iser or chief executive; it's a contest for the potential prime minister's seat. For now, much of the conversation around Borg revolves not around ide- as, but past comments, such as his preference for Trump over Biden— remarks he now distances himself from even if his symbolic admiration for Italy's hard right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, keeps conservatives hopeful. Curiously, Borg's life story as the partner of a divorced parent, also makes him relatable to a segment al- ienated by his party's conservatism. Borg has also hinted that on moral issues like euthanasia he would give a free-vote, while refusing to say how he would vote himself. But this raises an- other question: Would he do the same with laws tempering with Malta's dra- conian abortion ban? For what makes euthanasia more of a moral issue than abortion? In this sense Delia is more categorical in his undiluted moral conservatism, even if both politicians were on the same page when they op- posed pre-implantation genetic test- ing for couples seeking IVF in 2022. Delia, on the other hand, occasion- ally puts forward thoughtful ideas like planting more trees to reduce urban temperatures but stops short of bold conclusions, such as acknowledging that meaningful tree cover in residen- tial areas requires cutting back on on- street parking. And therein lies the central problem with catch-all politics—it paralyses bold choices and keeps the status quo intact. While the logic of a two-party system encourages broad, consensual platforms spanning across a wide ide- ological spectrum, real social progress sometimes demands a willingness to choose between conflicting interests and lobbies. Delia appears more fo- cused on national and even interna- tional issues, even sounding less paro- chial than his rival, by denouncing the genocide in Gaza. Yet, both candidates struggle to make those tough choices. In this race, Delia is the candidate wrestling with history; Borg is the one untouched by it. Delia can make a strong case that, with a general elec- tion on the horizon, the party needs an experienced hand with the stom- ach to face the onslaught of Labour's propaganda machine. Nonetheless, after losing three con- secutive general elections and three MEP contests, the Nationalist Par- ty may be less inclined to play it safe and be more in the mood for a gam- ble. This may ultimately prove to be Borg's best asset and Delia's ultimate weakness, although one can never un- derestimate Delia's ability to make a comeback. 7 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 JULY 2025 ANALYSIS chance and fresh gamble but little surprise. Alex Borg, meanwhile, remains an enigma, untested, unreadable, and Tef lon-coated like a choice between the predictable and the unknown. But will the gamble pay off ?