I simply cannot accept the current status quo within the Nationalist Party. A status quo which, at the next general election, may lead to an outcome that no Maltese citizen desires.
Given the current state of the Nationalist Party and the strength of the Labour Party, combined with the electoral results of May 2019, it is now possible that the Labour Party would secure a victory of such proportion that it would translate into a two-thirds majority in Parliament.
Irrespective of our political beliefs and affiliations, common sense must prevail, and we must all recognise this scenario as a probable outcome, which is a real and imminent risk. In short, a threat to our country’s democracy.
What is the cost of doing nothing versus the cost of attempting to unlock the status quo?
We must, therefore, take action now to protect our democracy. We must urgently break the current status quo within the Nationalist Party. With this in mind, I ask myself, “What is the cost of doing nothing versus the cost of attempting to unlock the status quo?” When I reflect on this question, I conclude that the cost of doing nothing may be far more painful as it may ultimately cost us our democracy.
Is the status quo within the Nationalist Party the result of factions and internal division? Absolutely not.
Let’s be honest. Let’s admit that the Labour Party has intelligently created this public perception to weaken the Nationalist Party and to dictate its agenda.
The Nationalist Party, consciously or unconsciously, fell for this trap. Labour drip-feeds this perception on a daily basis (and has been doing so for two years now) by speaking repeatedly about the fictional factions that do not exist, except in the minds of those who are brainwashed by propaganda. Therefore, this is not the reason for the current status quo.
The reason for the current status quo is far more complex, but very logical.
On the one hand, PN leader Adrian Delia bows to the May 2019 electoral defeat but claims that his leadership should be judged at the next general election. On the other hand, the majority of Nationalist members of Parliament are telling Delia that the party is not electable with him at the helm.
The MPs’ prediction is not based on factions but on a realistic appreciation of a string of events and decisions that alienated a crucial segment of the PN vote, perhaps irremediably. Among these, I would single out the following three:
Barely a few weeks after Delia mindlessly called Daphne Caruana Galizia a “bicca blogger”, Daphne was brutally murdered and this understandably infuriated her followers who have written Delia off forever.
Within hours of the Egrant report being published, Delia lacked tact and rushed into asking for Simon Busuttil’s resignation. This again alienated at least another 21,000 voters who gave their first preference to Busuttil just one year earlier at the 2017 general election.
The revelations about Delia’s sticky business affairs created a misalignment between the values of the Nationalist Party and those of its leader. This led to a cohort of Nationalist voters not able to relate and therefore belong to the Nationalist Party with him at the helm.
Another known fact is that the size of Nationalist Party’s core vote is some 30,000-strong, smaller than that of the Labour Party. This fact is supported by 20 years of data which is in the hands of PN secretary general Clyde Puli.
We must change, otherwise we may cease to exist forever
It does not take a rocket scientist to understand that in these circumstances, the Nationalist Party stands to be dealt a devastating defeat at the general election in three years’ time. And this is why the party’s MPs are predicting that the Nationalists are not electable with Delia at the helm.
On the other hand, no one can blame Delia for believing in himself and for wanting to persevere in trying to win back what he has lost.
It is these two opposite forces that have caused PN’s current status quo.
The Nationalist Party must unlock this impasse and we must put everything to the test. Let’s do so by placing the actors in the stalls and let those of us in the stalls start to do the acting.
I for one, as a Nationalist Party councillor, put the first signature on the petition requiring the signatures of 150 party councillors to call for a vote of confidence in Delia’s leadership. I was willing to champion this initiative and work to collect the necessary signatures.
My mission is clear, I want to unlock the current status quo within the party as it needs to start regrouping and reinventing itself to save Malta’s democracy. If successful, approximately 1,500 PN councillors will have the right to vote.
If Delia is once again confirmed as leader, then it is for him to continue to lead the show and all the rest must either back him up or back off.
If Delia is once again confirmed as leader, then it is for him to continue to lead the show and all the rest must either back him up or back off. At best, his mandate would be to try and reduce the expected meltdown of the party.
If Delia loses the vote of confidence, we must turn the page and open a new chapter for the party in order to help it get back on its feet.
Regardless of whether the party would be led by a caretaker leader for a few months or immediately by a new leader, I have no doubt that there will be people of talent and conscientiousness who will step forward and rise to the occasion.
A new leader must take the Nationalist Party to the next general election with the mandate to protect the country’s democracy and, therefore, deprive Labour from obtaining a majority in Parliament in excess of two-thirds.
Status quo is the absence of change. We must change, otherwise we may cease to exist forever. It is our duty to convert the current headwind into a tailwind.
It is our duty to save our democracy.
Ivan Bartolo is a former Nationalist Party candidate.