The President of the Republic has been called upon to establish not only who will lead the opposition in parliament but he could very well determine the fate of the Nationalist Party and as a result, the dynamics of the country’s democratic functioning.
Two thirds of opposition leader Adrian Delia’s parliamentary group have told George Vella they no longer have confidence in him to lead them. Interpretations of the constitution by some of the country’s most eminent legal minds have indicated that the president’s next action is straightforward: remove Delia and appoint the person in whom the majority in opposition have confidence, namely Therese Comodini Cachia.
After three days of consultations, which included face-to-face meetings with a large number of those MPs, the country is still on tenterhooks awaiting the president’s verdict.
If Delia somehow remains at the helm, ominous voices are talking of a split in the party. Another scenario is a long-drawn out constitutional case that could cripple the opposition for months to come.
He has defiantly and shamelessly told the country he has no intention of stepping down
This could all have been avoided had Delia bowed out humbly and gracefully, as any other leader in a Western democracy would have. Instead, he has defiantly and shamelessly told the country he has no intention of stepping down. Instead of packing his bags from Dar Ċentrali, he dug his trenches and claimed he still enjoyed the support of party members.
Instead of coming clean about his relationship with murder suspect Yorgen Fenech, despite knowing the businessman was also the owner of secret offshore company 17 Black, Delia claimed he was being framed. He then went on to imply leaked phone messages had been fabricated before going to the police with the ultimate intention of trying to force Times of Malta to illegally expose our sources.
In three years, Delia has failed to unite a good section of the electorate, leaving the PN with no hope of making inroads into the Labour Party’s support, let alone getting anywhere close to governing. One of the reasons is that a political leader cannot be fighting corruption while busy defending himself from so many accusations.
Despite any attempt to rebuild the party structures (which, to be fair, Delia has tried to do) or reaching out to opponents, there is one stark reality: with Delia at the helm, the PN is unelectable.
In such situations, leaders who have an ounce of respect for the party they claim to love usually have no option but to leave. But Delia has decided to cling to his seat and that decision has now put the PN at the precipice. A cursory look at comments made by prominent Labour officials and supporters prove that Delia has become the PL’s greatest asset.
Delia’s defiance is sparking suspicions that he insists on staying on only because he wants to protect himself from the potential exposure of further incriminating exchanges with Fenech. Ultimately, Delia’s defiance is damaging our democracy. Malta is heading towards a state where a party could end up commanding two-thirds of parliament – effectively neutralising yet another of the country’s checks and balances.
We are heading towards the potential disintegration of a party which has delivered some of the most monumental political decisions of the nation’s history. This is not the time for the PN to get lost over constitutional interpretations.
As it squabbles over definitions in its statute, the country needs it to hold the government to account over the never-ending corruption scandals. It is simply a matter for one man to do the right thing and stop the PN haemorrhage.
The least thing that Delia could do at this stage, if he really wants to retain a shred of dignity and credibility, is to set the ball rolling for an open leadership contest. But don’t hold your breath.