Any political party, which works under the cloud of a large electoral loss, is simply wasting its time. The PN has been labouring under the cloud of Adrian Delia's leadership for three years. It has been losing more and more ground to Labour even though Labour is represented by corruption and mismanagement. The fact is that many, who usually vote PN, just do not want to vote for Adrian Delia as he has too many skeletons in his cupboard. Although he did try, there are too many cases of mismanagement, and with the main organs in the party against him, he has nobody to work with even if he had to win the current leadership race.
If there is something all party members agree on, is that we are going to lose the next election in a big way! Nothwithstanding this, some in the party are content to go on like this with the inevitable outcome being that if we do not change leader now, we will have to inevitably change him after the next election! We do not have time to lose! Adrian Delia has made several mistakes during his leadership tenure for which he is the only one to blame. His altercations with Simon Busuttil and Daphne, his not taking decisions to unite the party but rather to divide factions further, his penchant for picking fights with different party sections especially his MPs, his personal choices and behaviour in making wrong decisions, among others.
Some are content to accept their fate passively because three years ago, the party members took a democratic decision and they feel that their blind fate is statically bound by that decison even if it means we lose heavily. Some feel that their destiny is written in the stars and are ready to hitch their wagon to it like sheep to the slaughter. However, many in the PN would like to take their destiny into their own hands, because we are responsible in many ways for our own destiny in the choices and decisions we make! While some are ready to deal with destiny like sheep, the brave many will make the changes possible to their own fortunes. We do not have the destiny to lose. Neither do we have time to lose. There are three issues which make it important for the PN to change leader.
The first is that he has completely lost credibility and this accounts for his low poll ratings. When he speaks, very few are listening, maybe a few party faithful, but elections are not won by the few party faithful. The second is that the main party organs have voted against him. This means that the party structures wish him to leave and should he be re-elected he will still have a problem with these party structures. A house divided cannot stand! The third reason that he should leave is that he has been found-out clandestinely communicating with Yorgen on his mobile after the 17 Black saga even if at first he denied it and was later forced to admit it. In the current situation he ought to just leave quietly. We have taken other party members in front of the Ethics Board for less than that.
In the face of all this, I strongly believe that we should start anew! I have acted and behaved such as to bring about the possibility for the PN members to have another go at electing a party leader who can help change our destiny from one of losing, to one of winning. From one of unvirtue to one of virtue again. After all, politics like destiny, is dynamic not static. People can and do often change their minds which is why we have elections every so often. I did not vote for Adrian Delia in the leadership race three years ago, but I worked with others after that, to keep the party together and give him a chance to lead. So much so, during last year's General Council I voted for him to ascertain a certain continuity as I figured at the time. However, that continuity does not make any sense anymore now with the majority of the MPs and all major party organs against him and after all the wrong decisions he has taken and the wrong behaviour he has exhibited!
He has had his chance and should make way for someone else being part of the solution if he so wishes. This should not be a hard headedness contest but one of rationality and correct emotions.
The British Labour Party had elected Jeremy Corbyn. Notwithstanding the mess the Conservative Party was in, it was obvious to all that he would lose the election, and lose it heavily he did. The Maltese Labour Party also did badly under Alfred Sant and it was obvious to everyone that as long as he was leader of the party, that party would keep losing because of his lack of credility, and lose it did. The PN has the same problem now. We can learn from others' mistakes or be constrained to repeat them. We have an occasion before us that we should not miss out on. Bernard Grech offers us the chance of a new beginning, a way out of the impasse, the quagmire, we now find ourselves in. The possibility of working virtuously towards the goal of a new approach; one that will ultimately bear results, because as Eddie used to tell me, you can have the best statutes and political ideas in place, but unless you are elected to government, it all means very little.
In my address to the PN Executive Council, before I moved the vote of confidence, I spoke of the concept of Virtute Nitet! The splendour of virtue, like a lighthouse should shine and show the way to go forward in everything in life. It should shine brilliantly now to guide the PN members to cast their vote in the upcoming election in such a way that proves fruitful for both the Party and the country! After all virtue, that is choosing what is right or wrong, is a more important asset in politics than any other asset including unity, though I do not underestimate the importance of the latter. We do not have time nor a destiny to lose. We need to clean out the stables and clean them out fast!
Dr Michael Asciak MD. M.Phil. (European Studies) PhD. (Bioethics). [email protected]