Adrian Delia and Chris Said are the two candidates who will be competing for the most senior post of the PN.  The second round of this election is scheduled for Saturday, 16 September, with more than 20,000 members entitled to cast their vote to elect the PN leader for the very first time since the new amendments of the PN statute came into force.  In the first round, Dr Delia and Dr Said obtained 45% and 31%, respectively, of the votes cast by the 1,354 councillors who participated in the first round of the election.

A look at some figures with regard to the leadership contest provides some insight. The turnout was very high, reaching 99%, indicating an enduring allegiance to the party.  The 99% turnout signifies that the PN is still a political force to be reckoned with.  Although, I have no doubt the party certainly needs realigning to ensure that it remains a valid and constructive Opposition.

Nonetheless, it must be noted that 37 councillors decided not to collect their voting document, while another thirteen did not cast their vote notwithstanding they have collected their voting document.  Another six votes were declared invalid.  These figures also point towards an element of dissatisfaction with the PN.  These should not be ignored and the new leadership and administration must look into the reason or reasons for each and every uncast vote.  Councillors are an important lifeline between the party structures and the electorate and if these are not functioning properly and effectively for whatever reason differences must be ironed out. 

To my mind the only establishment which should be challenged, questioned and held under direct scrutiny is the PL and the current administration.  Any discourse about the establishment within the PN is tantamount to a hijacked political party by a handful which is certainly not in the best interest of the party members and the rest of society and if this is the case this is wrong.   

Before I continue with my review of the result, I strongly believe that both Alex Perici Calascione and Frank Portelli deserve a round of applause for their efforts.  Even if one does not agree entirely with their proposals and their vision for the PN, they have certainly highlighted some issues which must be backed by whoever wins the PN leadership race.  Good ideas are not a monopoly of winners.  Their contribution should not be wasted.

I must insist this is not a post mortem, but merely an evaluation. 

A post mortem is performed after death to find out the cause of the death, which could have happened in mysterious circumstances or as a consequence of a serious crime.  Investigators commission a post mortem to get as much information as possible on the lifeless body. The PN does not need a post mortem or an autopsy.  By all means, the PN is going through very turbulent times but it is alive and kicking, even if some of the kicks are inflicting more harm than good to the PN itself in the process. 

Why this is so I will leave to you to reach your own conclusions; but if I may, I urge you not to do so before you finish reading this piece. In my humble opinion, the PN needs an honest, no strings attached, comprehensive evaluation, but not a post mortem. With feet firmly on the ground, the PN has little hope, if at all, of forming the next government nor, in all likelihood, the one after that.  But the PN must wait patiently to take the lead once the electorate is ready to trust the PN in office again.  Until then, this will allow the PL to do pretty much as it pleases, even if, at times this is a perilous situation.   

During the debates in the run-up to the PN leadership contest, the common good came under the magnifying glass on several occasions. But this should be more than just spiel.  Individual, sectoral or parochial interests have to be sacrificed to shield the common good.  And this also applies to a party in Opposition.   

The common good dictates that supporters of the remaining two contestants use the social media wisely.  In the first election round some of the comments and posts on various social media platforms were without shadow of doubt out of place.  Such disrespectful comments do not help any future party leader build the necessary bridges with the different factions within the PN.  The PN is already a party in disarray; it cannot afford to fragment any further.  I dare say that the topmost priority of the new leader would be to unite the party even this leadership contest has unearthed deeper fissures in the PN.  Let’s hope that for the good of the PN, and of the country as a whole, the new leader is able to do so.   

While its line of thinking, its policies and the schemes adopted have attracted the masses to the PL folds, the PN has distanced itself from the grassroots. The PN needs to reconnect with the electorate again.  It is a laborious process and this can only be achieved if the PN as an organisation can translate into sound policies issues raised by people coming from different walks of life.

The new PN leader must ensure that those working within his radius have the necessary capabilities to read accurately any political issue which emerges from time to time on the national agenda and above all have the competencies to propose sound counter standpoints if and when necessary.          

 

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