But from where do you start? 

Never in my lifetime have I thought that I would be writing a piece that reflects such a dramatic situation in a Party that has left an indelible impact on so many fronts during these last 50 years, especially in the 25 years or so that it held Government. 

This Party was the champion of what I believed in; solidarity, inclusion, human rights, democracy and the works.  Nowadays, it is very easy to talk about institutions, rule of law, justice, quality of life, standards of living – most of the seeds were planted as a result of the work of the Nationalist Party when in Government. 

This is when democracy began oiling our society.  It was the result of the worn-out and dead beat MLP Government of the time losing its moral and honourable compass.

In the beginning of the 80s, at the tail-end of the then MLP Government, when the situation was starting to go to the dogs, we were witnessing disrespect towards the Courts, the Parliament, the Police and the list could go on.  It was a period when the MLP had to call it a day, not without their own moments of turbulence.  There were also the non-stop calls from many quarters for people to be binned, discarded and chucked away. 

Rumours that the MLP would split were unremitting. 

Who thought it would be at all possible that some of the stalwarts that led the MLP would be removed from the Party and yet here we are, the Party, now PL, still exists and it seems to be growing by the minute. 

I believe that the cleansing happened at the right time. 

This is reality.

Every organisation goes into its own cycle of existence. 

When it comes to an organisation’s life cycle it is very clear that there is the ‘start up phase’, the ‘adolescent phase’, the ‘mature phase’, the ‘stagnant phase’ which would then take you to the ‘defunct stage’, that is, if there isn’t ‘the renewal’ (Nonprofit Lifecycles: Stage-Based Wisdom for Nonprofit Capacity by Susan Kenny Stevens, 2002).

Now what the MLP managed to do, and this thanks to Dr Alfred Sant, was to realise that there was a ‘mature phase’ that was leading the organisation to be ‘defunct’.  What Sant did was to restructure the Party, attempt to give it a new identity, provide for an objective and an identity and move on from there.  Even though Alfred Sant might have struggled when it comes to winning elections he provided the bedrock for the leader after him to take stock and move on.  He had his own moments of wanting to hang on to power but at the end he realised that his time is up, his work was complete and he achieved in a different way. This is what leadership mettle is made of; not only winning but about reading the signs of the times and taking the correct action.

Now back to the PN. 

Yes, this party had its share of howlers when it ran this country. 

It had its scandals to contend with.  It also had its own dose of dense politicians - but what kept this Party going was its focus on the Objective; that of attempting to do what is right.  But the time came for the Party to hang its boxing gloves.  It lost an election and just scarped through the one before.  The dissent within the Party was not an easy cookie to resolve and the fall-out is still there for all to see.  But it was time.  The leading politicians had grown tired and some even conceited.  People got bored seeing the same faces, the same disquieting situations, the economy was not doing well, the party was raking debts, and to compound all of this, it felt like the Country was grinding to a halt.

It was only natural that at some point there would be a change of Government. 

Joseph Muscat, the PL trump card, was what made the difference.  He created this Movement that most chuckled when he came up with it.  But what this simulated movement did was that it encapsulated all of the traditional PL supporters, dismissed the internal troubles there were and created a space for the destitute Nationalists, that were growing in numbers.

Joseph Muscat and his Party managed to keep Malta on track and not only. 

By luck, wisdom and craftiness, this Government took this Country to another level in terms of wealth and affluence.  With practically zero unemployment we are seeing droves of people from all parts of Europe wanting to set up shop here.  Not only, this little Country of ours has shown considerable improvement in a number of civil rights issues whether it is LGBTQi or disability, women’s rights or other minorities.  This is a country that showed massive growth in its social stature notwithstanding we still struggle with a number of worrying issues, namely rent and the rightful distribution of assets. 

But that is normality, no? 

It is the cycle of power; today it’s ‘us’, tomorrow it’s ‘you’.  It is the people that are sovereign, they are the ones to choose and we have to respect that. "Elementary, my dear Watson", no? At the end of the day, people want material goods and serenity and they vote for the Party that can ensure they get that. 

In my opinion, what the PN tried and is still trying to do is to warp and bend the natural process. 

Firstly, there is this sense of entitlement that the Nationalists Party should be in power.  The past leadership just couldn’t fathom the transition from a ‘Party in Government’ to a ‘Party in Opposition’. That mentality change has not taken place.  The strategy, the structures, the mechanics to run a Party in Opposition mode is completely different to the one in Government.  

Secondly, this is a Party that constantly and consistently wants to sit on the moral high ground, dictating the values that people should live to.  For a modern Party, what you need is the space for the thinking, the encounters and the debate – and not taking on the role of an oracle. 

Thirdly, the PN needs to be careful they do not turn this conflict into a class quarrel – it took years for Fenech Adami to create an inclusive Party – it will take very little to turn back the clock.  A Party is about the basics, the fundamentals, about asking the critical questions at the right time with the right type of intelligence.

Now the Nationalist Party, as we know, is in a conundrum, which can either be the beginning of the end - or an opportunity!  It is true that people need to assume responsibility and equally so good leaders should not shoot from the hip.  The art of politics depends on one deep-seated factor, ‘timing’.  You get that wrong and you’re screwed!

The PN, in other words, wants to sort itself out.  This is a Party that needs to have solid party structures that allow for open debate.  This is a Party that needs to recreate the mechanisms to ensure that dirty linen is not hung outside but people need to sit in a board room, throw as many insults as they want at each other, maybe come out bruised - but finally share the hymn sheet.  (Oh and stop these childish sharing of statues on Facebook to get to each other’s jugular.  Face each other and behave like grownups please.  With all the committees and boards it is simply a joke to have to use Facebook to dish it out. An act of spinelessness if you had to ask me – go on, talk it out!)

There is no other way. 

I don’t imagine the PN will split; I cannot see that happening because the Party has its own way of deciphering what is good for itself and rejects the adversary (even if they were of its own – vide what happened to Dom Mintoff). 

The configuration of the Party, its media, the longing to win an election, the delegates are first and foremost loyal to the colours – all else exists to reach that end, whether it is leadership or slogans.  Very soon the renegades will start being seen as the avengers to the Party and will be rejected, cast-off and unwanted.  People who are rallying around the challenger will be better placed to take their positions and slam them in the face of their opponents internally.  If not they will soon be hit by the recoil.

In other words, this is a natural process for the Nationalist Party to go through; it just needs to look at the situation straight in the eyes.  What would definitely help is finding the right person, possibly some PN stalwart like Louis Galea, Lawrence Gonzi or Dolores Cristina to bring the stakeholders together and help with the mediation.  

It will be terribly sad if this opportunity is wasted and the Party that carries such an important political tradition stultifies. 

PS This piece was penned on the 24/7

PSS I will be back with my column at the beginning of September .