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11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 MAY 2018 NEWS ANALYSIS if elected to government in four years' time. In fact Muscat's greatest accom- plishment so far has been that of dispelling old Labour's bad reputation when it came to managing the econ- omy and in creating wealth and jobs. Mark Anthony Sam- mut is aware that this narrative needs to be beefed up by an eco- nomic programme. His party's "alterna- tive path to pros- perity" is one based on "restoring the country's reputation" in a way that can attract "new industries providing high-paying jobs" where growth is spurred by "higher wages rather than more workers." In this way the party can tap "the main concerns of many: of the workers in precarious work con- ditions, of the environmentalists worried by unabated development, of those worried about corruption at the very heart of Castille and po- litical intrusion in our institutions, of those worried about how values, including human life, are being given second or no priority". And vital to the success of this project, is "to keep increasing our contact with the people, as we and our leader, Adrian Delia, have been doing over the past months." People first One major shortcoming in Bu- suttil's good governance narrative was that it appeared out of synch with popular aspirations for ma- terial prosperity. This was accentuated by his own de- ficiencies in communicat- ing his message, crippled by the baggage inherited from previous Nationalist administrations. Sammut insists that under Delia the party already has a battle cry: "People First". "Our focus is to become again the voice for the weak and down- trodden, for those who are being left behind while the frenzy of a 'booming economy' ploughs ahead, for those who are hidden behind numbers and percentages which are increasingly show- ing greater disparity, greater inequality, and a rise in poverty." Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, a Nationalist MP and former Home Affairs Minister, rejects the need of an overriding battle cry. He insists that the party's prior- ity should be to become relevant, politically credible and focused on regaining "popular trust". He thinks that the party's Chris- tian democratic roots can be made relevant for our age. "No, we do not need a single message or bat- tle cry but an electoral programme which we can implement and to get there we need to initiate a pro- cess of dialogue with Maltese so- ciety." The former minister insists that while big projects can be impor- tant, what the party needs most is to focus "on those small steps which directly touch people and make a difference in their daily life." Crucial to this process is "hu- mility, simplicity and wisdom." Subsidiarity could, in fact, be- come one of the PN's battle-cries as suggested by Michael Briguglio's "bigger society, smaller govern- ment" mantra during last week's General Council in a speech where he advocated greater devolution of power to local councils and the voluntary sector. Yet in the UK the "big society" advocated by the liberal conservative coalition was rendered toxic by cuts in public expenditure. Ultimately devolu- tion also depends on government spending, which in turn depends on economic prosperity. A European upgrade One major dilemma for the party under Delia is how to remain home to both those who want the party to become more in synch with the electorate, and those who harp on good governance as an overriding issue, especially in view of the fact that these issues continue to domi- nate the news cycle especially af- ter the damning revelations of the DaphneProject which vindicated Busuttil's case against Minister Konrad Mizzi and chief of staff Keith Schembri. "Sadly, the Panama-Pilatus Bank debacle, the horrendous assassi- nation of a leading investigative journalist, the everlasting sleaze culture and the systematic melt- down of institutions goes to prove this degeneration," insists Albert Buttigieg who also warns the party "against any temptation of becom- ing carbon-copy of its counter- part." "Whilst the party needs to come to terms with today's socio-eco- nomic dynamics and aspirations, it must remain the catalyst of those very fundamental underlying val- ues which stimulated our success stories, mostly the values of social justice, equality, human dignity, solidarity, environmental sensitivity, business ethics and good governance." Buttigieg has taken a firm stance on over de- velopment in his local- ity. In a recent article he wrote that the National- ist Party needs to choose on which side of the fence it wants to sit. He also recently expressed his anguish at seeing the "Nationalist Party – which in the recent past tried hard to redeem itself from past environmental blunders when in office – voting in favour of both the Mercury House and Villa Rosa mega projects". Buttigieg's criticism seems to have hit home, with PA board rep- resentative Marthese Portelli vot- ing against the Kalanka develop- ment and a proposed petrol station in Luqa in subsequent votes. Buttigieg makes an important point by harping on the need to "inspire" by taking credible stances on the issues that matter. "If the party aspires to lead, then it needs to inspire," says Buttigieg who pro- poses a "European upgrade" as the party's new core message. "From a mere European member state we need to deliberate and act truly with a European mind- set. The politics of 'u ejja' (come on), where the unjustified is justi- fied and embraced, is leading to a democratic and ethical deficit… The Nationalist Party needs to be bold once more and be a beacon of politics with a big 'P'." Faced by a Labour party which Buttigieg describes as "a slick neo- liberal customer care agency", the PN needs to stand for something nobler and different. Yet faced by polls confirming Muscat's popularity, the party can- not afford to be too dismissive of Labour's considerable accomplish- ments over the past five years. Nei- ther can it ignore popular concerns which include environmental con- cerns championed by the likes of Albert Buttigieg. For the PN, the main challenge remains how to win back the edge it once had as a credible party in synch with popular common sense. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Faced by a Labour party which Buttigieg describes as "a slick neo-liberal customer care agency", the PN needs to stand for something nobler and different Carm Mifsud Bonnici Albert Buttigieg New leader Adrian Delia has offered some clues on his party's new identity, which are more in tune with social conservatives on issues like abortion and the defence of life from conception, and with popular concerns on security and immigration PHOTO JAMES BIANCHI