The Nationalist Party must embark on a "renewal" that involves more than communication, organisation and mobilisation. It has to have "internal unity and stability". Its structure and organisation need "shaking up from the foundations."
These were some of the points raised by regular columnists who write for this media house, who were describing what they believe is the way forward for the PN in response to questions posed by The Malta Independent on Sunday.
The columnists were also asked about the pros and cons of both candidates who are contesting for the PN leadership.
One contributor described Alex Borg as young and ambitious, and said he is able to project a fresh and modern look. Another said that Adrian Delia is very likeable and charismatic, going on to add that "he has excellent communications skills."
According to the columnists, inexperience and his young age may work against Alex Borg, while what is unfavourable for Delia is what is seen as divisive baggage.
The election for the new PN leader will be held on 6 September, with early voting starting later this week.
Mark Said
What do you believe is the way forward for the PN?
Lawyer Mark Said said that a time comes for every political party when its policies and dominant assumptions no longer meet either the public's expectations or the needs of the times. "I believe that the PN has reached one of these moments and stands in urgent need of renewal."
"The PN has been confronting specific challenges for a long time, but has yet to address them, especially in the face of growing populism and authoritarian rule. However, while it continues to be under stress, the role it can play as an instrument for social dialogue, fostering consensus among generations, and representing all social sectors is today more necessary than ever. In short, revitalising it is critical to revitalising democracy in Malta."
He said that foremost amongst the challenges is arguably the sense that democracy and democratic systems have largely failed to deliver on the aspirations of Maltese voters.
He said that the PN needs to again become a political party that brings together people with the same political ideas. Said added that it must build a sustainable agenda that successfully addresses the central issues of our time.
"It must embark on a renewal that involves more than communication, organisation, and mobilisation. It will require the party to ask itself hard questions about the reasons for its dwindling support among groups it has long taken for granted, to reflect on declining public confidence in government as a vehicle of progress, and to think anew about its policy agenda in an era of rapid change, at home and abroad. This process will be neither quick nor easy, which is why it must begin now."
What are the pros and cons of both candidates who are contesting for the PN leadership?
Said argued that Borg is one of the PN's greatest assets in Gozo and might have the potential to also be a greater asset as leader of the PN. "He is a new face, and this might be his trump card as PN leader for the upcoming general election that can translate into garnering substantial new votes from both first-time voters and floating voters. He also has an inherent budding charisma."
As for Borg's cons, Said believes that Borg tends to contradict himself at times. "He also tends to rely too much on old and tried PN political veterans who have not moved with the times and whose best-before date has long expired. Moreover, he has so far failed to come up with a clear and doable long-term vision for Malta."
On Delia, Said commented that he is today quite a mature and seasoned politician, "gaining experience from the tumultuous period when he was unceremoniously ousted as PN leader. In all probability, as a comeback PN leader, he has the potential to make a surprisingly positive impact both within the PN itself, to the point of securing genuine and good-intentioned support and co-operation from his former antagonists, and, more importantly, on a national scale. Winning the Vitals case in court was certainly a feather in his cap. He is a good orator and capable of portraying the party's vision and what it stands for in simple and sensible terms."
As for his drawbacks, Said contended that Delia might easily be forced to bring back to the table the PN's old guard unless he exercises effective control over the whole of the PN's organisational structure. "It will surely be an uphill struggle for Delia to manage to portray himself as an electoral heavyweight."
Alfred Sant
What do you believe is the way forward for the PN?
Former Labour Prime Minister Alfred Sant said that the PN needs a project for the party to "heal, consolidate, rally its members around a common theme, get all its leaders, representatives and members to work as a team, mobilise and project a united force behind a programme of government that is coherent and responds to what people feel while remaining positive and concrete, not just echoing the negatives about some aspects of the current situation that NGOs rightly emphasise."
What are the pros and cons of both candidates contesting for the PN leadership?
Asked about the cons of both candidates, Sant said that one is too young and has limited experience, while the other carries a divisive baggage and is probably still regarded with suspicion by too many. "They also need more gravitas."
As for the pros of both candidates, he said: "From what I can see: Nobody else was apparently interested in the job. Both seem to have the gift of the gab, not least with reference to the social media. They're successfully steering away from antagonising sectors of their party or the electorate, even if at the risk of sounding saccharine."
Michael Briguglio
What do you believe is the way forward for the PN?
The most basic step forward would be for the party to have internal unity and stability, which had been lacking in past years, sociologist Michael Briguglio said. He said that under Bernard Grech, especially during the MEP elections, the party seemed to be heading towards that, mentioning that Delia was very supportive of the outgoing leader.
"The PN has to offer a better alternative for voters than the Labour Party. The basic scope of both the PN and the PL is to be in government. If the PN wants to offer a better alternative to the PL, it has to win a majority of votes." He said the PN has to see what strategies it needs to adopt, where it went wrong, if there are areas or issues within the PN which are pushing people away. It also must give a lot of importance to the invisible voices in society." He said that society isn't only made up of those who make news headlines or have the best banners. "Society is also formed up of the thousands of people, the silent majority, who meet politicians in house visits, who express their grievances to politicians during village feasts etc."
"The PL seems to be doing an effective job in reacting to the grievances and aspirations of many people. That is something that the PN should do. It cannot be seen as being led by a particular NGO or faction, because that pushes people away."
The PN also needs to focus more on issues like the economy, Briguglio said. "I'm not saying that it doesn't focus on the economy, it does, but there seems to be this aura around the PN that it is the party of people who preach from the pulpit. That needs to change. It has to be the party which delivers best on people's aspirations, and the economy is important here. It has to speak more about everyday economic issues."
He said that the PN also needs to show that it is independent from big lobbies, "as there is this impression that sometimes the PN doesn't speak out on certain issues because it is too close to big lobbies," he said. "There is nothing wrong about working with big business, it is essential in politics. But not speaking up on an issue or not tackling certain issues due to the influence of big lobbies is something else."
Briguglio said that there are also a number of micro strategies the PN could use, mentioning it could go for a more proactive social media strategy, among other things.
What are the pros and cons of both candidates who are contesting for the PN leadership?
Regarding Alex Borg, Briguglio said that he is a fresh face and has an excellent personal track record as a candidate in elections. "He doesn't have any baggage. He is visually appealing to certain voters and according to a recent survey he seems to be more appealing to Labour voters. The PN has to win over Labour voters if it wants to win the election. It cannot win the election just with its voters. It has to have PL and undecided voters on board."
Another plus for Borg, he said, is that "even though he is young and some say inexperienced, he comes from a family with a long history in politics. His father, who has passed away, was the right-hand man of Giovanna Debono. That gives a lot of weight to Alex Borg, in that Giovanna Debono, when she was minister, was loved by constituents in Gozo. Here Alex Borg has a lot of social networks and is grounded in politics, and that could be used in a good way."
"It's true that he is young and doesn't have many years of personal experience, but he is deeply ingrained in how politics is done. His father was an influential and loved man in Gozo."
Regarding Adrian Delia, Briguglio said: "kudos to him for the fact that when he was removed from the PN leader he still remained loyal to the party and clearly supported Bernard Grech in the MEP elections. He wasn't a bad loser and took things very gracefully, which I think places him in the good books of many people."
Delia is also very likeable and charismatic, Briguglio said. "He has excellent communications skills, which is very important in politics, and is also a good team player. In this campaign it seems that he has clearer stances in terms of policy."
Briguglio added that Delia took down the Vitals deal singlehandedly.
He said that one could interpret recent surveys to show that the Labour Party is more afraid of him, "but that is just speculation."
As for the cons of both candidates, Briguglio said that both seem to come from the same faction within the PN. "They need to appeal beyond their respective faction."
Another point he raised, although stating it is not a con, is that not enough importance is being given to who from other PN factions are supporting the two candidates, and said it needs to be analysed more.
Frans Camilleri
What do you believe is the way forward for the PN?
Frans Camilleri, an economist, said that the PN's greatest error since 2013 has been that it has limped from one election to another without a major shake-up in its leadership, its structure, its organisation, and its policies.
"Unless major progress in these four areas is achieved, it is destined to remain in opposition and only rely on the governing PL making major mistakes in order to gain traction."
"The structure and organisation also need shaking up from the foundations, both in terms of grass-roots and in approach - we have seen the sorry spectacle of all sorts of limitations on the candidates in the running."
As far as policies are concerned, the party needs to be brought into the 21st century, he added. "This does not mean it should ditch all that it has stood for before. Given that nowadays there is very little to distinguish conservative from liberal governments, the PN needs to make clear what its policies are in the various societal sectors. It needs to make sure that it does not fumble its messages," Camilleri said.
What are the pros and cons of both candidates who are contesting for the PN leadership?
Camilleri said that in Adrian Delia and Alex Borg, the PN has two valid candidates. "Both have good qualities and some not-so-good ones."
"Delia can boast of considerable experience as a former party leader and in Parliament." He said Delia commands respect not just among a good portion of the PN but also among non-party members. "He is a good speaker, knows well what the issues are, has organisational skills, has some successes to his credit, and has considerable parliamentary experience. Outside the party, his reputation was undoubtedly made by the grit with which he pursued the Vitals/Steward Health case and won in the Courts. As far as disadvantages are concerned, one might point to his failure in retaining the party leadership."
"Alex Borg is rather an unknown. His advantages are that he is not tainted by any scandals, is young and ambitious, and is able to project a fresh and modern look. Some people compare him to Joseph Muscat in his early days, but I think that comparison is superficial. As for his disadvantages are concerned, the major ones are his lack of experience and rather limited track record," Camilleri said.