For, let’s face it. At times, you tend to give up. You'd be tempted to throw in the towel, and resign to the fact that this government made a dog’s breakfast of the basic ingredients that make Malta a normal country: rule of law; justice; state institutions that protect the law-abiding citizen.
But then, I think of my granddaughter, young, innocent, no clue of what is happening in today’s Malta. It is then, when I hold her in my arms, that I strengthen my resolve to get Malta out of this rot.
In normal circumstances, at this point in my life, following a string of electoral successes, on a local and national level, having led my family business into a flourishing organisation, and an excellent track record in sports administration, I can afford to wind down, take it easy, and enjoy my family, and granddaughter. But these are not normal circumstances. The time for action is now.
Today week, the Nationalist Party will have two new deputy leaders. My name is on the ballot sheet, for the post of deputy leader for party affairs. My pledge is clear and unequivocal: as deputy leader, I shall do my utmost to help rebuild the Nationalist Party, and make it electable again. It’s a tall list, I know, but I was never one to shy away from challenges.
Politics, in which I’ve spent all my young and adult life, has helped me through thick and thin. I was there when the Nationalist Party fought to restore democracy and rule of law – the terrible 1980s when Malta was burning. Then followed a long period of calm – democracy restored, the foundations for a strong economy laid down, by successive Nationalist Party administrations.
Following the 2008 general election, change was in the air – and in 2013 that change came through a new Labour government. What followed were four years of, encouraging, economic activity but a terrible mess within the state institutions meant to protect the law abiding citizen. Corruption became widespread, again. But as long as people were doing economically well, the need for change was not strong.
Five months ago, Labour secured an even bigger landslide. Five months later, a few weeks ago, on a sunny afternoon of Monday, October 16, Black Monday was revisited. Malta’s foremost investigative journalist was brutally murdered. Things will never be the same again. Thousands of people took to the streets demanding justice, law and order and, above all – a clean sweep within the state institutions - notably the Police Force and the Attorney General’s Office. The international press gave Malta wall-to-wall coverage, for the wrong reasons. But government couldn’t care less.
As I write this, the Attorney General, and the Police Commissioner remain, firmly, in place. In a normal country, they would have gone the minute Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed – because the institutions, which they ‘lead’, failed her, and us.
Government’s inaction, despite having a country in deep crisis, and a nation in mourning, strengthens my resolve to take Malta out of this rot. Civil society is doing its part. But this is not something which, the brave men and women, within civil society can and should do alone. The Nationalist Party is, duty bound, to lend more than just a helping hand.
Come 2022, the choice would be between a Nationalist and a Labour government. To ditch Labour, and elect the Nationalist Party to government, the people of Malta need to be convinced that the Nationalist Party can, and will offer a better alternative to Labour. Good governance; state institutions that function, autonomously, from the government; rule of law; justice; liberty, and an economy that works for all, shall top peoples’ concerns. The Nationalist Party needs to convince voters that it can meet their expectations, on all counts.
Convincing is not a walk in the park. People cannot, and will not be sweet-talked into voting Nationalist. Hard work, and leading by example is crucial if we want people to trust us again. With immediate effect, the Nationalist Party needs to put its house in order. New party leader, Adrian Delia, is doing his best, but this is not a one person job. A team effort is needed – and even then the challenges are many.
Which is why, for the last few weeks, I have been going from one party club to another, and holding hundreds of one-to-one meetings, with Nationalist Party card paying members, to explain my vision for the party. Mine is a twenty five point plan of action – ranging from a new way of communicating the party’s message, through its’ media, to an efficient, target-oriented grass-roots campaign within our towns and villages, to the strengthening of the party internal structures.
It is an ambitious plan, which I am determined to put in place within the shortest time possible. I have already stated that I intend to give my all – time, energy, experience, and resources to the strengthening of the Nationalist Party. If today week I’m elected to the post of deputy leader for party affairs, the day after, first thing in the morning, I shall be in the trenches giving my all to make the Nationalist Party electable again.