Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1539233
Saviour Balzan Founder and co-owner of Media Today, publisher of MaltaToday, he is a TV host and pollster 7 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 SEPTEMBER 2025 OPINION What next? TODAY is not the time to question whether the democratically elected can- didate is in fact the best choice. In fact, it was rather unclear who won the contest. What we do know is that the Labour party is having a good laugh at the elec- toral result between Borg and Delia. The democratic process is what it is, and we must respect the outcome. What we all know is that the Nationalist Party (PN) has been unable to rattle the La- bour government, let alone dislodge it. It is regarded as a party that cannot win an election and that image has not changed. Will it now? It can but it will not be easy. The PN has been unable to reinvent it- self since 2008 and more so elect leaders who take the party to new levels and pas- tures. Roberta Metsola was the one and only person to help the PN overcome this, but she intentionally missed the bus, preferring to hang on to her Euro- pean Parliamentary post. Voters tend to forget that when the Nationalist Party was riding high in the eighties and nineties, and even after that, it was a magnet for all types: liberals, conservatives, populists, left-wingers, believers and atheists. It attracted the best talent, the most creative of individ- uals that contributed to making the PN appear modern and dynamic and a hav- en for younger idealistic voters. It also offered a dream to many Mal- tese, old and young alike, promising a Malta that could be peaceful, and free of thuggery and violence. It argued that capitalism was not such a bad idea after all and that Malta's rightful place was with being at the same table with other top European States. The PN's allure ended with the passage of time, and when times changed and Labour learnt from its lessons by mov- ing more to the political centre, it did so without shedding its progressive and social outlook. The PN could not catch up. It also failed miserably under Gonzi, Busuttil, Delia and Grech. Surely many of its failures are a result of Labour's suc- cesses. Can it change the trend now? The PN in Opposition wasted most of its time reminding people that the sun only rose under a Nationalist adminis- tration and that Labour was intrinsically bad, corrupt and that all Labourites were agents from hell. It got worse when the PN refuted reforms such as divorce, gay rights, IVF and twiddled their thumbs when it came to other proposed reforms such as euthanasia. But as it pronounced these works, La- bour engineered an economy that left many people more comfortable and sim- ply richer. That we need a strong Opposition goes without saying. That we need to have the possibility of a grounded and pragmat- ic Opposition party, with the ability to govern one day, is the least we expect in a normal democracy. That checks and balances are normal in a democracy is very, very dependent on whether the PN is ready to govern. The PN that was led by Bernard Grech failed to inspire. Will the PN attract that cohort of voters that will make it truly with a chance to get elected? To start with it, the PN needs to map out a vision that will take it into the next decade. The PN must shed its pretentious stance on issues and to open up to the changing landscape of the younger elec- torate. It also has a gargantuan task in convincing the middle class, that re- mains mesmerised by the economic drive of the Labour government, that it too can drive a booming economy. How will a future PN raise thorny top- ics and take positions without distancing itself further from the business commu- nity and the middle class? And will the PN continue to be fundamentalist and a moral crusader when it approaches a social issue which has a heavy dose of moral dimension? The next leader will have to be a lead- er for all Nationalists and willing to em- brace voters who are traditionally La- bourite. Alex Borg who technically appeared to have won the election will also have to engage with a formidable adversary. The Labour party is a well-greased party and Abela a talented politician. The Labour party is also ruthless and capable of rais- ing money and dispatching an army of volunteers in an election campaign. Can the PN rise to the occasion? To do so, it must inspire, motivate and convince people to listen to their mes- sage. Only time will tell if it turns out posi- tive for the PN. Before going to print, it appeared that Alex Borg won the election for Nationalist Party leader The PN's allure ended with the passage of time, and when times changed and Labour learnt from its lessons by moving more to the political centre, it did so without shedding its progressive and social outlook