Over two months have passed since the last election. This was the first one I contested and, although I wasn’t elected and the PN suffered a heavy defeat, I am proud of what I did and would do it all over again.

I will state categorically now what I said several times before the election: the PN in government was not perfect, and it committed a number of fouls which were definitely hard to understand. All this was compounded by the internal party wrangling, a money-no-problem Opposition that spent heavily on marketing and a Labour Party that promised everything to everyone. No wonder they sounded chic and electable – before their honeymoon is over we are already seeing the Labour Party in government twisting and turning their promises and proposals and boasting arrogance as their main attribute.

But the people spoke – and spoke unbelievably loudly – and we, now the party in Opposition, have to bow our heads and listen to what they said. We have to analyse what we did that was seen as bad and not necessarily change course but make sure we are closer to the people, closer to the heartbeat of each and every Maltese and Gozitan.

The PN suffered one of the worst defeats in its history but this humbling result will spur us on to rise from the pit. The country needs us to be strong and enthusiastic to race back as soon as possible to lead the country and to keep its path headed in the right direction. We also need to be vigilant and ready to point out whatever wrong the government does. It might still smile away all is gaffes and bending of rules and ideas of meritocracy, but we will remain strong and ready to say whatever is wrong, while praising what is right.

That is why Malta – and not just the PN – rejoiced when Simon Busuttil was chosen as the new PN leader. His was a great victory, a victory over friends who have shown that, even if they all desired the prize, they all had one main aim: to be of service to Malta and to the PN.

Winning back the support the PN lost in the last election will not be an easy road to travel. In the near quarter-of-a-century the PN was in power, it changed Malta and the Maltese way of thinking. The PN is proud not just of its achievements but of the wise and good leadership provided by Eddie Fenech Adami and, in this last decade, Lawrence Gonzi. These two men changed not just Malta but even the way the Labour Party thinks and acts, which is a supreme victory for our country – that the Labour Party tried hard to re-invent itself by becoming like the PN. They knew and made it clear that to be electable they had to be like the PN: so even in our saddest loss we still helped Malta win.

Simon Busuttil is a worthy successor to all PN leaders. Gonzi endured unending internal back-stabbing, terrible opposition by Labour but, notwithstanding all this, he managed to steer Malta clear of all economic problems. In his latest interview on the BBC, our present Prime Minister spoke highly of Malta and its resilient economy. All this was great music to our ears – not just for Malta but as a true confirmation of what the PN in power did. It delivered.

Now it is Simon Busuttil’s turn to rejuvenate this historic party. He has to do it from the Opposition benches and undoubtedly his eloquence, his fairness and his brilliance will prove him to be an able and just Leader of the Opposition. The country is truly blessed and he will, I am more than sure, gather around him men and women of true worth who will be tough but fair and who will keep the Labour Party in check. The PN will do its soul-searching and will once again unite and be ready to face its upcoming big battle in the MEP elections.

·  Simon has vast experience as an MEP and was earmarked to reach unbelievable heights. In fact, as an MEP, he was well on his way to becoming vice-president of the PEP grouping: not just a prestigious position for Simon or the PN but for Malta.

· It is important to regroup, reassess and re-interpret all the reasons why the PN, with such a great history and with such a great list of recent achievements, lost the last election.

· I feel Simon is truly the man of destiny who will manage to get all diehard supporters, all doubting supporters and ex-supporters to embark on the long road back to winning one election after another.