As Chris Said’s term as secretary general comes to an end later this month, speculation is rife on who will be replacing him. So far, David Agius, Jean-Pierre Debono, David Casa, Ann Fenech, Claudio Grech and Adrian Delia have been mentioned as possible successors, but no one has confirmed a decision to contest the post so far.

On Tuesday, PN Leader Simon Busuttil announced that he has asked secretary general Chris Said not to seek re-election in order to be able to help the party focus on Gozo. This follows the resignation of Giovanna Debono in the wake of charges against of misappropriation of funds against her husband and the declaration that Gozitan MP Frederick Azzopardi will not be contesting the next election.

In the last election, the PN lost the Gozo district to Labour for the first time, and last month also fared badly in the local council elections, losing Munxar and holding on to the Nadur council by a whisker. Dr Busuttil has made it clear that the party must give great attention to Gozo, and Chris Said offers the best solution.

There were suggestions that the party could decide to abolish the position of general secretary, following in the footsteps of the Labour Party. When Simon Busuttil took over the reins of the party, he had appointed a CEO to administer the party’s operations.

Contacted yesterday, Dr Busuttil said he had no intention of removing the post, which would nonetheless require a change of statute.  “I am not considering abolishing the post of a secretary general. It is a post that is necessary for the party,” Dr Busuttil said.

The Malta Independent yesterday made contact with several other PN officials who are being touted for the job.

David Agius

PN Whip David Agius said that he has received a large number of messages from people urging him to put forward his nomination for the role. However he stopped short at saying that he will be leaving all options open and that he will wait to see how things develop.

Technically speaking, Mr Aguis would have the option of being both whip and secretary general; however he hinted that he would give up his post as party whip if chosen for the other role, because both roles require a lot of work.

Ann Fenech

President of the party executive Ann Fenech said that she is not considering the role at the moment. Asked whether she will give it a thought should the party approach her, she said she does not want to discuss the suggestion for the time being.

A number of party activists have expressed the wish for Dr Fenech to put forward her nomination on social media. Two years ago, a similar call had been made for Dr Fenech to run for PN Leader; however she did not contest. Instead, she had submitted her nomination for the PN’s executive president in 2013 and was elected.

Jean Pierre Debono

The PN’s current assistant general secretary, Jean Pierre Debono, said that he strongly believes that it is the leader and members of the executive committee who should approach an individual they think is suitable for the role.  Asked whether he would accept should he be approached, Mr Debono said he would definitely consider it.

Mr Debono has served as an assistant general secretary for the past seven years, and before that he served as assistant information director.

“I do believe that the process should be triggered by the leader, deputy leader and members of the executive committee. Of course, others might think otherwise,” he said.

Mr Debono was going to contest the 2013 general election before withdrawing his candidature in 2012, saying that he wanted to focus on his work as assistant general secretary. He has been involved in the party since the 1990s.

Claudio Grech

Member of Parliament Claudio Grech said he does not want to participate in speculation or reply to hypothetical questions. Rather, he said, he will see how the situation will develop as the process goes on.

The Malta Independent also tried to make contact with David Casa and Adrian Delia, who are also possible contenders for the post, but they were unreachable.