Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/838705
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 18 JUNE 2017 2 News PARTY LEADERSHIPS Karol Aquilina David Casa Adrian Dellia David Thake Outsiders touted for top job CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 "We have to remain a centrist party, but the challenge is to actually mean some- thing. We should be proud of our roots and identity as anti-coloni- alist party. We should temper lib- eralism with the social spirit of our Christian-democratic identity… I fear that a strong sense of individu- alism taking root in Malta could endanger the social welfare that we tend to take for granted." In comments to MaltaToday last week, Gozitan MP Chris Said, a former minister who took over as secretary-general in 2013, did not exclude submitting his candidature for party leader, saying he was con- sidering his options, but said that it was not the right time to make any announcements. "I do not fear challenges," he said. Adopting a similar wait-and-see stance is Nationalist MP Claudio Grech who was elected on the First District. "I have made no decisions. I'll keep my options open," he told MaltaToday Midweek. "Many argue that the country re- quires a strong opposition. True, but we need to go beyond that. The country requires a robust and vi- able alternative to this government. People don't vote for opposition but for government. Irrespective of my role, I am determined to give my time and effort into this pro- cess," Grech said. But PN insiders who spoke to this newspaper have been eager to ban- dy 'outsider' names for the top post: names like those of lawyer and Birkirkara FC president Adrian De- lia, and even PN radio tub-thumper David Thake. Now a contest that will be determined by the party's 23,000 paid-up members, the PN's leadership race is no longer a mara- thon of cocktail evenings with party delegates. Delia, 47, was less inclined to commit himself for a stab at the leadership, even though he has been approached. "It's not something that I wish for or want," the lawyer, a partner at former PN candidate Georg Sapi- ano's firm, said. "I understand that there is a vacuum in the leadership, but I'm also a private citizen who is not in politics, with a family of five kids… crossing the chasm would be quite a step." And David Thake, 52, deputy mayor of St Paul's Bay who nar- rowly missed a chance to become MP, has been adamant not to make any comment on his ambitions. Leadership or party executive role? "I have no comment to make," he said, even though two party insid- ers made it a point to mention Thake as a possible player in the coming elections. Eyes have also been set on the Debono power couple: Kristy Debono has been returned to the House with a remarkable 4,029 first preference votes, while husband Jean-Pierre, a former assistant secretary-general, clinched the last seat on the seventh district without reaching the quota, with over 3,300 votes. Kristy Debono could not be reached by phone yesterday. Jason Azzopardi, one of the few former ministers kept on the front- bench by Busuttil, is one of the MPs being pushed to take a step forward and consider the deputy leadership role for parliamentary affairs. "From day one of the 2013 ad- ministration, he has been doing what Mario de Marco should have effectively being doing," a former Nationalist minister, who supports Azzopardi's bid, told this newspa- per. Azzopardi, 46, entered into cam- paigning mode soon after the 2013 drubbing, becoming a vocal critic of Labour's egregious governance record. "He has certainly been ef- fective in most of the issues he brought forward: army promo- tions, the GWU lease, and he fol- lowed through on Café Premier and Gaffarena… he took owner- ship of all these issues and was un- relenting in his representation of the PN stand." The Catholic MP has voted against divorce in the past but fol- lowed Busuttil in abstaining on the recognition of same-sex unions in 2014. A possible contender for the dep- uty leadership for party affairs is Marthese Portelli, a former presi- dent of the PN's executive commit- tee, who in the last legislature had the unenviable task of shadowing transport, environment and plan- ning, and also energy affairs – four different ministries. But Portelli has made it clear she is weighing all her options for any leadership post. "I have support coming in from both within the party and also from outside the party. That has made me sit down and think deeply as to where I can contribute to make the PN once again the natural party of choice for people. "I've never shied away from a challenge… if there is a role in which I can help, I will go for it. Af- ter hearing out some people who have encouraged me, I have paused to consider the challenge." The other crucial post for the party is that of secretary-general, a role that has always attracted heav- yweights who went on to become ministers like Louis Galea, Aus- tin Gatt and Lawrence Gonzi, and strong organisers like Joe Saliba. While Nationalist MEP David Ca- sa has already declared he will run for secretary-general, there is clam- our inside the party's political cir- cles to push Siggiewi mayor Karol Aquilina, 38, to contest the post. "He was born to be secretary-gen- eral," a party insider said, quipping that Aquilina's DNA is that of the quintessential Nationalist political organiser. "It is a campaigning role that requires both organisational skills and political mastery. But its visibility suffered under Rosette Thake." Aquilina, who has just resigned his post as president of the adminis- trative council, a position held since 2011, told MaltaToday he did not exclude running for the post. "Although I resigned my post on the administrative council, I am considering the advice of those who say I could give my contribution in other roles," Aquilina said. Another possible contender for the secretary-general's role is Aq- uilina's own predecessor, Pierre Portelli. But the Malta Independent's di- rector of content has stated he is keen on keeping leading his news- paper, even though Portelli has nev- er been too far off from taking up a greater role inside the PN. "My job is in the private sector right now," Portelli said, indicating he would not abdicate his duties un- til a clearer picture of the PN lead- ership emerges. But he is aware that if there was a time, this could be the ideal mo- ment. "In the past I have had to put my family first. If you cannot give your full commitment to a post, then it's not for you. But it is pos- sible that these times are more en- couraging," he said. According to The Malta Inde- pendent, PN candidate and teacher Justin Schembri is also interested in the post. Mart hese Portelli Pierre Portelli