Last week I submitted my nomination as a candidate for the leadership of the Nationalist Party. I believe that today, more than ever, the country needs a renewed Nationalist Party and opposition, and this will be my mission should I be elected.

For me, renewal can only begin when there is unity. Over the past few years and even more so over the past months, the party has been overcome by internal disagreements and therefore any strategy or vision for the party needs to begin by ensuring that there is unity within all its structures and among its members.

I want all its members to feel united as it is only this unity that will give us the strength to continue with our reform project for the Nationalist Party.

We need politics of transformation and not of stagnation.

We need to redefine our collective vision and purpose. Over its glorious history, the Nationalist Party gave Malta several national visions based on its innate belief in the Maltese people. The PN believed in independence, in becoming a member of the European Union and in joining the euro.

We envisioned a better future for everyone and because we were united behind this vision, we succeeded, and more importantly Malta and the Maltese succeeded too.

It is therefore time that the Nationalist Party reflects on its raison d’être and becomes a hive for intellectual, experienced and evidence-based dialogue. It is time for a renaissance in the thought-processes, the policy proposals and our own internal development structures. It is for this reason that I yearn for AŻAD, our affiliated political institute to return to the core and to become a hub of activity, discussion and above all dialogue.

We need politics of transformation and not of stagnation

By being a hub of activity, we need to become more representative and inclusive within our own internal structures. Two areas which I want to commit to are ensuring that women are active within the party structures and that we start to attract the younger generation once again within our fold. Women have a unique, practical way of discussing issues and proposing solutions and it is imperative that they form an integral part of the party’s structures and leadership team.

I wish to see that, after the required discussion, soon after the next general election, normative changes do happen so that we can enshrine this within our statute and structures. We need to attract and support the development of tomorrow’s political class. We need to not only listen to our youths but, as from today, to actively involve them, to give them the space to contribute and to dynamically shape our proposals and policies.

To manage all of this, we need to have a strong administrative structure within the party. We need to modernise ourselves and ensure that we have an efficient and effective operation.

This needs to cross-cut across all our areas of operation from the political side to the commercial arms, including our media. The party that introduced technology to the island and started the e-government initiative needs to become the epitome of a smart and digital political and commercial entity. Our media also needs to transform itself to become more relevant in today’s and tomorrow’s world.

Moreover, it is precisely tomorrow’s world that should motivate us in this transformation. As the challenges the country faces continue to mount and the external environment will remain volatile, Malta requires a strong Nationalist Party to be a viable alternative to the current administration.

We can only start becoming one if we renew our sense of purpose through transforming our country into a new republic based on social justice, the rule of law and the common good.

It is only then, that we can really contribute to a better Malta and succeed as one people.

Bernard Grech, Nationalist Party leadership candidate