It is extraordinary for two-thirds of the opposition’s MPs to lose confidence in their leader and for them to request the President of the Republic to have him replaced. 

The president has since confirmed that the absolute majority of PN MPs have lost confidence in Adrian Delia but has stopped short of stripping him of his office. This too is extraordinary.

In another extraordinary move, the majority of the executive committee members of the Nationalist Party have also expressed their loss of confidence in Delia.

The writing is clearly on the wall but Delia is choosing to crash the Nationalist Party straight into that wall instead of reading what’s on it. He must be stopped.

As leader of the PN, he is the person who carries the biggest responsibility for finding a way out of this crisis. 

Kicking and screaming, he persists in defiance and has used an appearance on national TV to threaten his opponents with punishment. He preys on the beating hearts of some tesserati to justify his staying on. He believes that something referred to as ‘holier than thou’ or ‘the establishment’ is fighting against him. I hope he knows that none of these Labour-constructs will ever be printed on a ballot sheet.    

Delia’ epic stubbornness is riveting the PN to the bottom of the ocean

Delia’s epic stubbornness is riveting the PN to the bottom of the ocean. He has pushed away a sizeable chunk of an already restricted core vote.

Episode after episode of bad judgement and rough handling of situations pushed away thousands of loyal supporters who have now become political orphans or Labour voters.

The unprecedented vacuum in policy development is testament of his failure to articulate a clear political vision for the party.

The country is crying out for a solid opposition led by a credible leader. The government’s power needs to be kept in check as Malta faces several challenging situations.

Alas, at such a crucial juncture, Delia is keeping the PN busy with other matters. How atypical of this once glorious party which repeatedly stood tall in front of the nation with a clear vision of how to build a modern country and fulfil the people’s big ambitions.

This mess needs to be cleaned up and things turned around. And yes, it can be done. A ray of hope has emerged out of the ashes. A rallying call for Nazzjonalisti to start believing again. 

Political parties exist to win minds, hearts and elections. Their leaders must be credible and inspirational.

Partit Nazzjonalista is not winning, its leader is not inspiring and he lacks the desired credibility.

There has been a sigh of relief that things may just be getting better, that revival is possible- Chris Scicluna

Should Delia choose to exit now or to set in motion a leadership race, he will be doing so with dignity and history will not be cruel to him.

If he stays on, we can only pray that the Nationalist Party is not totally wiped out when the electoral tsunami hits. That would be everybody’s loss. 

A new leader will need to bring together all Nazzjonalisti to unite behind a common set of values, ideals and beliefs through a process of re-energisation, reunification and recalibration.

This leader must welcome all Nazzjonalisti with open arms at the doors of Dar Ċentrali, peel off and discard labels which might have been placed on long-standing supporters in the turbulent past.

Understand that your boundaries are not limited to Pietà – reach out to civil society in its widest composition. Speed up the process of policy formation to reinvent the PN, restore credibility and move away from populist jargon. Be clear on what you stand for. Invite contributions from far and wide to help form your vision for the party and for the country.

Speak, act and conduct your business convincingly and in ways which depart from the shackles of tribalism, the ‘us and them’ mindset. Work hard to earn the people’s trust and provide the necessary assurances that Partit Nazzjonalista can indeed be an alternative government.

This, and much more, is no small feat. The courageous actions taken in the last days by several MPs and others within the Nationalist Party have rekindled fresh excitement and interest in many people.

From where I stand, there has been a sigh of relief that things may just be getting better, that revival is possible.

Hope is a truly powerful tool. Perhaps it will soon be time to return home.

Chris Scicluna is a former PN executive committee member.