Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/920426
maltatoday SUNDAY 31 DECEMBER 2017 Opinion 20 T he Nationalist Party must become, once again, a party capable of appealing to a majority of people, a party that is capable of winning elections. Once the party which revolutionised the economy, it allowed Labour to set the agenda. From a change agent, the Nationalist Party became a reluctant spectator. That must change because it's really and the truly the case of change - or become irrelevant. This is no indictment of the Lawrence Gonzi – who bravely enabled Malta to weather the fierce storm that was the international financial crisis; and of the Simon Busuttil – who did his best, at a time when Labour was, and still is, on a high leadership. That is water under the bridge, and the Nationalist Party must look ahead. Of course, it must learn from its failures. But there is one question which keeps coming up, and that is the scale of Labour's latest electoral victory. That must be answered before the Nationalist Party is able to move ahead, and face its new challenges. For in that question lies the answer to its revival, and survival. There is no straightforward answer. But one of them is, with the benefit of hindsight, pretty obvious: 'It's the economy, stupid '. I've been repeatedly told that the electorate does not give a hoot about corruption; that the Maltese are a corrupt lot, and that corruption is deeply ingrained within our, Mediterranean, culture. But I beg to differ – strongly. For public surveys, commissioned by this newspaper, and the latest Eurobarometer surveys confirm that the Maltese, in their absolute majority, are worried about corruption at the highest levels; that no less than seventy nine per cent believe that 'corruption is widespread '; but then – and this is the most significant finding (Eurobarometer, November 2017) fifty three per cent believe that 'corruption does not affect them personally'. And it is precisely here where many believe that, at the last general election, the Nationalist Party failed. It's personal It must be said that others believe that, were it not for the grave allegations levelled at the Prime Minister, his spouse and their top aides – including, most significantly, the fact that Konrad Mizzi, and Keith Schembri opened a secret offshore account in Panama – Labour would have secured an even bigger electoral landslide. I'm of the 'school of thought', with the benefit of hindsight, that the Nationalist Party failed to explain the implications of corruption on the 'personal ' economy; that in the long run, corruption eats away at the country's basic foundations, which eventually wreaks havoc to jobs, and salaries. And then, it failed to articulate how, with immediate effect, it intends to boost the economy. The Nationalist Party took a long-term view, and tried to build its vision around that. The electorate, experiencing the positive effects of a booming economy, felt, and understandably so, it was pointless changing a winning horse mid-stream. And then, the Nationalists had only been out of power for four years – after two decades in government. Which explains why the Nationalist Party, stood no chance in hell of unseating a victorious Joseph Muscat; but it failed to make inroads in bridging the gap with Labour. A new leader It is useless to point fingers now. A new leadership team is in place – led by a man whose first day in office was his first day in politics. Perhaps, time will prove that a political novice held the key for the Nationalist Party to believe in itself, again, and convince the electorate that it has what it takes to deliver a better government than the current one. These are early days of the Adrian Delia leadership. But the first indications are that he understands what makes the electorate tick – the majority at least. Recently I followed him at a good number of his party club addresses. Public security; traffic management; immigration; a stronger economy for all; and good governance tops his agenda. These are the issues that make people tick. Unfortunately for him, the public surveys which gauge people's trust in his leadership when compared to Joseph Muscat's leadership, are not good. But then again, it's early days – he's the new kid on the block, literally, and he still needs to make inroads with those who, barely four months ago, voted for his 'rival '. It will take time, but the first indications – not yet ref lected in public surveys, are that he's making inroads. Adrian Delia is aware. His speeches are a clear indication that if the Nationalist Party wants to become electable again, it must be much more ambitious. To get there, the Party mustn't abandon its principles – far from it. But it must leave behind its old way of doing things. It must abandon nostalgia for its glorious past – those were different times, and society was different then along with 'preaching-to-the- converted ' mentality. None of those things will appeal to the middle-of-the-road voters the party needs to win over. To achieve this, more than anger the PN needs hope. That is where three key figures of its membership team and the party media's boss, come in. For the first time, the secretary-general of the Nationalist Party is a sociologist, and sociologists come handy when an organisation needs to identif y what it stands for, and chart the way forward. Clyde Puli 's task is precisely that. He needs, through deep ref lection, and professional analysis, to identif y what the Party stands for: what it means to different people, and how to articulate a vision in synch with people's aspirations. The deputy leader for parliamentary affairs brings to the table what Delia lacks: long years of experience in politics; especially street politics. Along the years, the Party lost touch with the so-called 'common man in the street' – and the 'I'm-too-busy-call- me-later' mentality set in. That must go. David Agius must see to that. The deputy leader in charge of party affairs is a successful businessman, and boy, the party badly needs a businessman to make heads and tails of its financial situation. It is no secret that the Nationalist Party is asset- rich, but has a difficult (to put it mildly) cash f low situation. Robert Arrigo's task is to be creative – and put the party, financially, back on its feet. Election campaigns cannot run on a shoe-string budget, if they are to be successful. Media boss Pierre Portelli has ample experience in his field. He has repeatedly declared that he wants the party's media to reach out, and stop preaching to the converted. The party's media has already made inroads in that respect, but much, much more needs to be done. Bold decisions are needed in this respect. You don't convince middle-of-the- road voters by telling them that Labour is the devil incarnate, and the Nationalist Party is God's gift to the country. It is a formula which failed, repeatedly. Sensible people Adrian Delia and a revolution of confidence Frank Psaila Those who wish Delia fails are foolishly cutting their nose to spite their face – if the PN suffers another heavy defeat in 2022 its very existence would be at stake Were it not for the grave allegations levelled at the Prime Minister, his spouse and their top aides, Labour would have secured an even bigger electoral landslide