Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/509499
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 10 MAY 2015 4 News Busuttil favours a non-parliamentarian for the job of PN secretary general PN leader Simon Busuttil is keep- ing his cards close to his chest about who should be the next PN secretary general but he has a pref- erence for a nominee from outside the parliamentary group. Busuttil also envisages that the commercial side and administra- tion of the party will be assigned fully to a chief executive officer, to allow the secretary general to have more of a political role. At present the post of CEO is tak- en up by Brian St John. Busuttil's preference for an out- sider for secretary general could mean that the interest being shown by three main contenders – David Agius, Clyde Puli and now Mar- these Portelli – may well come short, a senior PN insider has in- formed MaltaToday. The vacancy for a secretary gen- eral arose after Giovanna Debono's resignation from the PN parlia- mentary group, followed by Simon Busuttil's announcement that Chris Said, also a Gozitan, would be resigning the secretary general post to concentrate his mind on re- gaining the considerable electoral ground lost to the Labour Party. PN insiders informed MaltaTo- day that Said and Busuttil had al- ready discussed this prospect when the scandal and news story about 'work for votes' involving Giovan- na Debono's husband had first sur- faced in MaltaToday. According to the PN statute the post of secretary general must be filled from the ranks of the execu- tive committee. Last Friday there were 42 nominations for the 18 representatives – nine women and nine men – who need to be elected. Members of parliament, and the European parliamentarians, are also automatically represented on the executive committee. The executive committee will be elected on 22 May and will then vote for a new secretary general some days later. There was no end to rumours about who the next secretary gen- eral could be, but most parliamen- tarians shared Busuttil's view that the secretary general should not be any one of the party's 29 MPs. At one point, the name of MEP David Casa was being bandied around with the party faithful. But the Europarliamentarian is not sup- ported by all the group. Another parliamentarian with ex- cellent organisational abilities and considered a realistic candidate is MP Robert Cutajar, one of Law- rence Gonzi's most trusted former aides. The list of outsiders who have been nominated to the executive and who could easily fit into the role of secretary general include Siggiewi mayor Karol Aquilina, AZAD chief Dr David Griscti and Birzebbugia councillor Hermann Schiavone. MP Paula Mifsud Bonnici is set to remain PN General Council presi- dent as she was the only candidate to throw her name in the hat. The female candidates vying for the nine posts reserved for women are; Amanda Abela, Jacqueline Az- zopardi, Tiffany Bonavia, Barbara Buttigieg, Rita Desira, Rita Dimech Portelli, Christabelle Ebejer, Ann Fenech, Caroline Galea, Graziella Galea, Denise Martin, Veronica Perici Calascione, Stefania Pirotta, Sandra Smart Costantino, Rosette Thake, Isabel Vella, Evelyn Vella Brincat, Francesca Zammit. The male candidates are; Karol Aquilina, David Battistino, Johann Borg, Alexis Callus, Raymond Caruana, Neville Cassar, Mal- colm Custò, Jean Pierre Debono, Trevor Degiorgio, Justin Fenech, David Griscti, Joseph Mercieca, Robert Micallef, Edward Mizzi, Kevin Mizzi, Martin Musumeci, Alex Perici Calascione, Stefano Persiano, Mark Anthony Sammut, Justin Schembri, Hermann Schi- avone, Marco Spiteri, Alban Thika, Stefano Zammit. David Agius, Marthese Portelli and Clyde Puli are among the MPs interested in the job The list of 'outsider' candidates include Siggiewi mayor Karol Aquilina, AZAD chief David Griscti and B'Bugia councillor Hermann Schiavone