It saddens me to say that there are people within the Nationalist Party who are making it their mission to destroy the PN. 

Over the past weeks and months, they have dedicated all their energies in creating a lose-lose situation, much to the dismay of many like me who want to see a strong and proud Partit Nazzjonalista. 

With every ill-guided action they take, the hope of a united and focused Opposition continues to fade away. 

Louise Tedesco

This so-called Barra Brigade appointed themselves, not for the first time, I must add, as judge, jury and executioner. They decided, again not for the first time, that their views and opinions are more valid than those of the majority. 

They pushed the idea that the PN’s woes started when Adrian Delia was elected by the party grassroots as leader. 

They have striven to undermine the party leadership every step of the way, at every opportunity, delivering in the process death by a thousand cuts to the PN.

I have stood four-square behind every leader of the PN since the time of Eddie Fenech Adami. I did this not because I had blind faith in the leadership or because I approved of every decision taken over the years.

Some of the decisions taken during recent years were misguided and contributed greatly to the haemorrhage of votes.  Many within the party did not agree with the parliamentary group abstaining on the civil union vote in Parliament, an insensitive, illogical and intrinsically flawed decision. Many did not agree with the strategic partnership with Partit Demokratiku. 

Those who, like me, did not agree with these and other fundamentally wrong decisions did not rally publicly against the leadership of the party. 

Neither did we plot behind the scenes despite being fully aware that these decisions were contributing to the widening rift between the PN and the electorate. 

Ironically, the same people who took those flawed decisions today are pointing fingers at the current leadership. 

This is happening at the time when the country needs more than ever a strong Opposition, one that should be fighting to strengthen the country’s institutions rather than to destroy its own institutions. 

I do not believe that the role of the PN is to send people to prison. That is the role of the police, the courts of justice and other state institutions.

The Barra Brigade continue to make the mistake of personalising every issue. 

Let me be very clear: I am against all those who abuse their position and there is no doubt in my mind that the core of our government is rotten. Having said that, I do not believe that the role of the PN is to send people to prison. That is the role of the police, the courts of justice and other state institutions. The role of the PN is to ensure that these institutions carry out their work without fear or favour, something which they have failed to do.  

Our role should have been to convince the electorate that failed State institutions are a threat to the very fabric of our society. This role was not fulfilled, with the PN instead preferring to carry out personal campaigns. 

Over the coming months, the country will start suffering the consequences of the abject failure of our State institutions. 

At that point, they are going to look for alternatives. Labour will present itself with a new leadership giving the electorate an alternative. 

And the PN? Whichever way things go, it seems it will be presenting itself as a divided party bent on self-destruction. 

If the Barra Brigade don’t have it their way they will continue with their guerrilla tactics. If their wishes materialise and they succeed in removing Delia, they will in one fell swoop deprive the party of thousands of voters who will feel betrayed by a party that first asked them to choose their leader and then did everything possible to undermine their choice.

I have voiced these points within the party at every opportunity I was given over the past weeks and months. 

I am making these views public because I somehow feel that the Barra Brigade are living under the misguided conception that they are the Nationalist Party, that their views are the views of the party grass-roots. They are not.

If the Barra Brigade don’t have it their way they will continue with their guerrilla tactics. If their wishes materialise and they succeed in removing Delia, they will in one fell swoop deprive the party of thousands of voters who will feel betrayed by a party that first asked them to choose their leader

I spend hours every day speaking to people who message me, stop me in the street, call me: heartbroken people who cannot understand the actions of these modern Don Quixotes. If only they gave half their energy towards strengthening the party we would today be the alternative government the electorate is yearning for. 

The General Council of the PN is meeting this week. 

They say that hope is last to die. Well, I hope that the council will provide some hope for those like me who want to see the party re-emerge from this self-inflicted mess. I hope that it delivers a clear message to those who time and again have failed to listen. And I hope that this time they do listen.

Louise Tedesco is a member of the PN Executive Council.