Together, we will get it right

Reeling from a massive electoral defeat, I have been approached by so many people asking how is it that our Party has literally witnessed an electoral meltdown of unprecedented dimensions. The very same people also ask me: "Where do we go from here?"

In this article I will attempt to answer both questions. On to the first one: how was it that we suffered such a massive electoral defeat?

The most simplistic answer to this question is that the Nationalist Party had been in power for far too long. An initial stretch of 10 years, a short interval of 22 months and a further stretch of 15 years. The last 15 years where characterised by rapid social changes. A country struggling and divided on entry into the EU, a country as a member in the EU with all the pros and cons of membership becoming a reality, a country faced by an economic crisis of unprecedented dimensions.

I'm sure that a number of decisions taken by the Nationalist government in the last legislature have cost the party a number of votes. The privatisation of Maltacom, the privatization of the Malta docks, the liberalisation in the transport sector, the overhaul at Air Malta and so many other sectors come to mind. One may ask whether such measures were necessary. The answer is yes. The second question is whether these reforms could have been implemented differently. The answer is yes. The big lesson to be learnt is that when downsizing and/or reforming government enterprises, when privatising government bodies and when taking so many other decisions, the lives of people were being effected negatively. In this context we must assume responsibility that we were not sensitive enough. We were engulfed by the genuine belief in a greater common good, forgetting that in pursuing such greater good there were so many casualties.

I have no doubt that there were so many other mistakes that have cost my party a number of votes. The honoraria increase was simply a mistake. A mistake which should have never been committed. A mistake which was acknowledged too late and in an unconvincing manner. The electorate, rightly so, never forgave my party for such error of judgment.

Another mistake committed was that we, the members of parliament, as your representatives, were not always readily accessible. Not close to you enough when you needed our assistance. Throughout this legislature I visited thousands of households in my district. I was amazed as to how much people expect us to visit them. Such visits helped me understand that people are interested in politics, they do follow closely and expect us to be close to them. Even here, we left much to be desired.

I have no doubt that the issue of corruption has also cost my party a number of votes. I always believed that the moment we lose the high moral ground, then the people will no longer feel an obligation to support us. At times during this legislature, people started to believe that not enough was being done to deal immediately with claims of abuse. People started to believe that sleaze had crept in, that there was no longer the spark to get things right.

The last legislature was also characterised by moments where government was perceived as weak and not in control of the situation. I am convinced that Lawrence Gonzi's peak during the last legislature was during the Libyan crisis. Gonzi the statesman came to the fore. This was however also a moment when rumbling from the now notorious backbenchers (now all apparently embedded within the Labour Party fold) was gaining momentum. I recall telling a number of my colleagues that the Libya crisis had given Lawrence Gonzi an opportunity - a window - to go for an early election and potentially win. My idea was not even considered. We were lead to believe that appeasement of the rebel MPs would pay off. I was sure it would not. Every time they were appeased they came for more. This situation put Lawrence Gonzi in humiliating situations where he had to bare the brunt of insults and savage attacks from his own MPs. I recall telling then prime minister Lawrence Gonzi that what he was going through secured a place for him in heaven. He would smile back, visibly hurt but determined to keep steering the country in such challenging moments. With hindsight, I'm sure all agree that the manner in which the rebel MPs were dealt with weakened the party.

Certain reforms introduced by the previous government fell flat on their face. The public transport reform, introducing Arriva on our streets, was a massive disaster. Worse still, expectations were raised sky-high and the fallout even greater. On the same level is the MEPA 'reform' which was supposedly introduced. I still have to meet one person - yes, a single person - who could praise the way MEPA operates. There seems to be an ingrained attitude to obstruct rather than facilitate MEPA applications. The big mistake was that we were led to believe that the reform had taken place and was successful, when in fact it was not. People blamed the government and the party for all of MEPA's deficiencies. And the people are right. It was up to us to ensure that the reform took place, and on this, we failed miserably.

The utility bills are another thing which should have been dealt better. People ended up receiving bills which were too high, sent at sporadic intervals and many times rife with manifest mistakes and miscalculations. Trying to understand one's own bill and contesting a bill, which was manifestly incorrect, was not possible. On the day of the election I visited a family trying to convince all members to go out and vote. They had received a bill of €10,000 for a period of three month. This bill was clearly incorrect. The family had been trying to rectify this bill for three whole years. All the kings horses and all the kings men - from the office of the Prime Minister downward - tried to help, but to no avail. The people at ARMS had become untouchable. Naturally, a whole family of five did vote. All of them went out... and voted Labour.

All this is now, up to a certain extent, history. What we have to do is learn from the past, pick up the pieces, pull up our socks up and move on.

Where do we go from here?

Let's get the record straight. I am proud of what the Nationalist Party has managed to achieve, even over the past five years. We hand over to the new government an economy which is still doing well, a booming tourism industry, a solid health sector and a sound educational system. If one of these pillars founders, the edifice will collapse.

On the other hand, what the Nationalist Party needs at this stage is a vision. A vision for the Party itself, which would in turn translate itself into a vision for our country.

My vision is that of the PN once again becoming a People's Popular Party - a party in sync with the aspirations of the people. We must be part of the change. The people will bring on the change themselves, and the party must aspire to become the catalyst of such change once again. We should be a Party which pre empts change, rather than going through the pains of changing when it is too late.

We - myself included - have to understand, respect and accept opinions of others even if they are not mainstream. Minorities of whatever nature have rights which must be respected. We must all become more tolerant, and determined to curb any sort of discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, religious or political belief. All human beings are equal and should be treated as so.

My vision for the Party is that we should go back to our roots, emphasising that the value of solidarity remains central to our beliefs. Creating wealth and distributing wealth justly was and should once again become the hallmark of my party. We must ensure that we once again become the party where 'hadd ma jibqa lura' ('nobody is left behind'). This is a big challenge, especially in today's world where consumerism and egoism characterises society at large.

My vision for the Party is that it remains the Party which believes in the empowerment of every individual. Where all - literally every one - is given a chance. Where no one feels emarginated, where all opportunities are available to all, be it in education, work opportunities, business and social assistance.

I believe in a caring Party where the small picture matters. A Party which realises and understands that the small problem of an 'unknown' individual is to him a big problem which must be addressed. 

My vision of the PN is that of a party which is there to serve, which is all ears to the pains of the people and arms open to all who are genuinely willing to join in for the first time or once again in this party.

We have a great responsibility on our shoulders. The weeks and months ahead are crucial for the Party. Lets all take the right decisions, divested from self interest, and humbly accept that we all made mistakes and are all determined to make things better.

Even in such difficult moments, I ask you to all believe that a bright future lies ahead for the Nationalist Party. We cannot make any more mistakes now. I am sure that together, we will get it right.

Beppe Fenech Adami is a Nationalist Party MP