In September 2017, I found myself having to make a very hard decision when I was left with no choice but to resign from the PN Administrative and Executive committees, and from the MNPN of which I was president, after having worked for the PN on a voluntary basis for over 30 years.

This meant that I was no longer a party councillor. Since I cannot express my opinion as the councillors will on Saturday, I want to express my view by means of this article.

I had decided to resign after the nightmare I lived through, as a member of the Electoral Commission, during the electoral campaign and the election for the party leader.

I have always refrained from writing anything about this experience out of my deep respect for the PN, against which I have never wilfully done anything that could have harmed its image. However, I must admit that I was proved right about my decision.

In these last two years, the party has become unrecognisable. These have been two years of people instigating others against the same party’s MPs and MEPs, persons who are facing all kinds of threats because they are upright and honest, and several instances of cyber bullying.

These past two years were filled with people building walls instead of bridges, conducting manoeuvres and manipulations to keep certain persons in and others out and executive committee meetings with “unanimous’’ decisions being taken by a simple show of hands.

However, I haven’t seen a single protest against the corrupt politicians that are governing our country.

We have reached a point where it seems that the great enemy for the PN is no longer corruption or those who have been condemned over and over again by the European Parliament and by the Council of Europe.

The government has brought shame on the country and its wrongdoings have been exposed and confirmed by Moneyval, the Venice Commission, GRECO and Pieter Omtzigt’s reports. The party hardly found time to explain to the electorate what these reports mean for us and for future generations because it has been entirely taken up with creating the image of a great leader.

Councillors are being forced to choose between party values and its leader

Since I started taking an interest in politics, I saw in the PN a party with the values I have always cherished: the principles of common good, solidarity, rule of law, human rights, liberty of expression and so many others. These were the topics of our discussions in the administrative and executive meetings during the time when Eddie Fenech Adami, Lawrence Gonzi and Simon Busuttil were at the helm.

Are these the same principles that are currently guiding the party? Could I have ever imagined, until a few years ago, that journalists would be hindered from doing their duty in front of Dar Ċentrali? Could I have ever imagined a PN administration being against those who fight injustice and corruption? Could I have ever imagined such hatred, threats and insults within the same party? No, I must admit. I never imagined all of this. However, I still hope that logic and what is right will prevail.

The true picture is this: in three years’ time, we will be facing general elections again. If we want to once again put Malta on the European map for the right reasons, we are still in time. We need a strong Opposition party, which is a must in any democracy but which is even more important for a country like ours that is now being considered one of the worst EU countries so far as democracy is concerned.

But we have to act now because we cannot assume to offer an alternative to the Maltese by having a mere 15.8 per cent of the electorate and, even worse than that, only 38 per cent of the Nationalist electorate who trust the present leader.

Our country surely does not need an Opposition leader who is continuously defended by Labour trolls or by some of those ex-PNs who have done so much harm to the party.

Malta needs a leader who has the ability to bring out the good of every single person’s character, not the bad side of it. It needs a leader who unites the party, who does not continuously speak about whom he will chuck out.

At all times, in all democratic parties and in all organisations, there are obviously those with different opinions and approaches. I firmly believe that, in the past, the PN had very good leaders and different opinions were always dealt with in a democratic and peaceful manner.

The party and the leader have always been complementary to each other.

Now, this is no longer the case. Councillors are being forced to choose between party values and its leader. The choice is very clear for all those who not only love the party but also the country.