Without even considering the abilities and strengths of Therese Comodini Cachia, it is an impressive achievement for a woman in Malta to be proposed as leader of the opposition at all.
A day might come when this fact is unremarkable, but we have not reached it yet.
Only last year, the government launched a consultation document and debated ways to increase the number of women MPs. Malta still has a very low percentage of female representatives in parliament compared to other European countries. The gender gap is wide and unhealthy.
Countries around the world have tried to introduce tools and mechanisms to address the gender imbalance and boost female participation in politics, with varying success.
I favour promoting women, possibly through quotas, on the ballot sheets of political parties. But I am less convinced about quotas for seats for women in parliament.
Whatever the solutions may be, it is clear that there are many complex reasons why women find it tough to participate and succeed in politics.
For far too long the inept PN leader Adrian Delia has been deaf to the closing bell ringing loudly above his door. Time up. His stint as leader has not only been ineffective, it has been destructive.
Whatever happens next, one thing is certain. Comodini Cachia has been nominated by her fellow PN MPs as their favourite choice to lead their party out of this crisis. This nomination would be an achievement for any MP.
But with the odds stacked against women and knowing the hard challenges that they face in climbing the political ladder, this achievement is that much more.
One would expect all those who have been pushing for ways to smoothen the path for women in politics, such as women’s activist groups, to be delighted at this development. The leader of the opposition is a constitutional position of major importance to the country. A woman occupying such a high position in public life could serve as a positive role model for other women aspiring to a political career. The glass ceiling might open up another crack.
For far too long the inept PN leader Adrian Delia has been deaf to the closing bell ringing loudly above his door. Time up- Petra Caruana Dingli
But things are not that simple. It was somewhat disheartening, for example, to see the reaction of an influential women’s group on social media, soon after Comodini Cachia’s nomination became known. Their recognition of the hurdles and obstacles faced by women politicians vanished from sight. Instead, they chose to headbutt Comodini Cachia about her views on abortion.
Go figure. Timing is not irrelevant. It is unlikely, practically impossible, to expect any sort of progress or resolution on this long-standing, highly controversial debate in the current political scenario. Not at this exact moment, anyway. Moreover, abortion is not just the concern of women politicians. It concerns everyone.
In truth, this was just a quick flutter on social media, not really worth dwelling on, but it provides an apt example of the odd nuances and circumstances which women in politics face.
Another common exam for women politicians to pass is physical scrutiny. Joking apart, if the PN MPs’ favourite had been, for example, Chris Said, Claudio Grech or Joe Giglio, would anyone have been distracted by their hairstyle? But women are measured by a more exacting yardstick. Comodini Cachia has nothing to worry about there.
On the lighter side, we will never forget Margaret Thatcher’s handbags or Theresa May’s silly shoes. Angela Merkel has managed to rise above that fray, but then her political abilities are truly exceptional.
Gender aside, Comodini Cachia must be judged on her merits as a politician. She surely has flaws. Who does not? But in her political career so far, weaknesses have not stood out or defined her. She is still pretty intact.
She also has experience as a member of the European parliament. If her nomination proves successful, that would make her the third leader of the opposition, after Joseph Muscat and Simon Busuttil, with this Brussels background.
After winning a PN seat in the Maltese parliament in the crushing electoral defeat of 2017, Comodini Cachia considered returning to Brussels.
This is now regularly being thrown back at her. But she insists that she has proved her commitment to the Maltese parliament since then.
In truth, it was hardly a breathtaking U-turn, considering the political standards we are now accustomed to.
Muscat’s government spent years getting away with substandard moves by pushing the line: “we could have done better”.
Speaking of U-turns, Muscat had actually campaigned and voted against Malta joining the EU, but then swiftly changed tack and campaigned to become an MEP, even later using EU membership to sell passports. And he still won a record number of votes.
So people are probably flexible enough to accept a short period of dithering, after a disastrous and shattering electoral loss for the PN, about whether to stay in Malta or return to work in Europe. In the end, she stayed.
Who cares about the PN infighting and leadership, some people ask, claiming that everyone should focus on bigger issues like corruption. Fair enough, but what better way to combat corruption than by having a strong opposition?
If there is no government-in-waiting, the incumbent administration will do whatever it pleases, and cover up or hide what it pleases.
Comodini Cachia has also shown her commitment to the fight against corruption in the law courts, by providing legal support to the Caruana Galizia family in their quest for justice.
She is not new to politics, but her move from Brussels to Malta is still relatively recent. As potentially the first woman leader of one of the two major political parties in Malta, she offers a fresh face.
Events are still unfolding in the current crisis within the Nationalist Party. A leadership election may present other nominees and candidates. But the first person to bravely pick up the gauntlet and try to lead the troops towards peace and normality within the party is a woman.