The Nationalist media is having a field day following secretary general Jason Micallef’s embarrassing mishap.

When the nominations for the party’s administration were being considered on Tuesday, the chairman of the party’s electoral commission, Joe Falzon, reportedly challenged the nomination cast by Mr Micallef and claimed, truthfully, as it turned out, that Mr Micallef had not paid his subscription fee for the past three years and was thus ineligible to stand.

Amid much shouting, Mr Micallef is said to have rounded on the party’s veteran financial secretary, Tommy Dimech for not informing him he had to pay his fee.

The party’s executive, meeting later, chose to accept Mr Micallef’s nomination as there were no other nominations.

But this, say some party dissidents, is irregular and the nomination could be ruled as invalid. They ask what role should the party’s Vigilance Board take in this case, seeing it takes up the cases once they happen, not only when it is asked to do so.

It is admitted that the forthcoming general conference could easily fix the procedural problem that has arisen but perhaps not in the panicky way it has been shelved.