During these hot summer days four gentlemen will hardly be allowed enough time for a siesta, let alone a short holiday. 

They will be assiduously campaigning amongst PN party members.  The small number of contestants for the top post is perhaps indicative of a plethora of issues that beleaguer the PN.  The reasons could be multifaceted.  It could be that others were not prepared to plunge into hot waters like the four resolute contestants.   It is well recognised that the top post of a political party requires total commitment and carries enormous responsibilities.  

It could also be that others did not have enough time to ponder whether to attempt stepping into the role of party leader.   Or it could be the case that, as yet, the PN has not analysed in detail the result of the last general election and thus very few were prepared to throw the hat in the ring.   In the worst case scenario, it could be that the PN needs to regroup and reintroduce collegiality at all levels of the party, and clearly convey that whoever wins the top post will be given all the support required from his colleagues and party grassroots.          

Whatever the reasons could have been, all speculation about other aspiring contenders for the post has been laid to rest.   Four gentlemen are vying to take the PN's top post.  The contest is between a Member of Parliament, a former Member of the House, the outgoing Party treasurer and an outsider.   Female contenders kept away from the race. 

This year, the traditional mass meeting organised by the PN to mark Malta's Independence will be addressed by one of the four contestants: Adrian Delia, Alex Perici Calascione Frank Portelli or Chris Said.  For the first time since the statute of the Party was revised in 2013, around 20,000 PN members will be eligible to cast their vote during a general convention scheduled for September 16.

So far, in different contexts, the four contestants have made statements regarding the need to reconnect with the grassroots of the Party.  That is a very positive step.  But I doubt this is enough to beat the PL.  The PN has first to identify why the electorate has deserted the Party.  Successful political parties need political strategies, and these can only be devised if politicians keep their feet firmly to the ground and motivated by the common good of society only.  

The post of PN leader has attracted one less candidate than the five, including that of a female politician, who contested the post when a similar vacancy emerged in the PL after the resignation of Dr Alfred Sant in 2008.  Currently the female contender is fulfilling the role of President of Malta.  Her nomination as President was, for the first time approved unanimously by a resolution of the House of Representatives passed on 1 April 2014, marking a positive development in the political history of Malta.   In the PL contest, the Labour delegates favoured Dr Muscat, although at the time he was not a member of the House but was an MEP.   He was elected leader with a two-to-one majority in a run-off against the former Party deputy leader Dr George Abela.

Dr George Abela also served as President of Malta.   Early in January 2009, Prime Minister Dr Lawrence Gonzi announced that government was proposing Dr Abela as the next President of Malta.  That was a first also in Maltese political history.  Dr Abela succeeded Dr Eddie Fenech Adami.  Never before the Gonzi Government had any other administration nominated a President from the Opposition.   Parliament approved Dr Abela as the eighth President of the Republic. 

On both occasions the PN sought, in a tangible way, to bring national unity to the forefront.  Ironically, in return, the outgoing leader of the Opposition Dr Simon Busuttil has been ferociously attacked by none other than Mr Kurt Farrugia, Government's head of communications.  The PN has to learn to deal with such situations effectively, without stooping as low. 

This reminds me of something I read a while ago. A policeman sees a man, visibly drunk, searching for something under a streetlight and asks the man what he is searching for.  The man says that he lost his keys, and both start looking under the streetlight.  After a few minutes, the policeman asks the man if he was sure he lost the keys there, and the drunk replies 'no', and that he has lost them in the park.  The policeman asks why he is searching here, and the drunken replies that 'this is where the light is'.  

Perhaps the PN should learn where to look for solutions.      

These are tough times for the PN and taking the top post of the Party at this juncture is nothing but challenging.   This is a race that will not only affect the PN's future and the rest of society but also Malta's visibility in the eyes of the international community.

May PN party members use wisely their vote!

Gejtu Vella

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