Casa irked at being told not to contest secretary-general post

Casa, an MEP since 2004, had shown interest in the position of PN secretary-general for some time, after it was relinquished by Chris Said, who has been tasked with turning the PN’s fortunes in Gozo.

Casa’s drive and populist appeal has won him respect in the party, but PN leader Simon Busuttil was said to prefer having a complete outsider to take over Said’s crucial role.

But expectations are running high for Rosette Thake, a relatively new and fresh face to the political scene and the PN, to take over one of the party’s main roles as it heads into the lengthy and rough run-up to the next general elections.

Thake runs four kindergarten schools, but she is also expected to dedicate herself full-time to her highly demanding new job.
The man she replaces, Chris Said, is a former minister and seasoned politician who cut his teeth as mayor of Nadur, and who since 2013 had managed to make a drastic reduction of the party’s costs and cut losses.

Thake has been described as a liberal and eloquent speaker, but activists who spoke to this newspaper are unsure if she will handle the heavy pressure brought to bear by factional demands from within the party.

During the referendum campaign to abolish spring hunting she expressed her support for the No campaign, against the position taken by her party leader.

Thake is perhaps expected to bring back the middle-class touch to the Nationalist party. Her predecessors – Chris Said, Paul Borg Olivier, Joe Saliba, Lawrence Gonzi, Austin Gatt and Louis Galea – were all electorally seasoned politicians, and she is the first secretary-general who comes with no political baggage.

Busuttil has taken some hard decisions by making a radical cabinet reshuffle and bringing forward many backbenchers to shadow ministerial posts.

He also appointed Brian St John, a former CEO of the Foundation for Medical Services, as CEO of the party, who at present is under a cloud, at the centre of a war of words over the signing of an agreement by the Foundation for Medical Services.

On the other hand, former PN leadership hopeful Ray Bugeja, who was expected to coordinate a committee to look into the party’s finances, appears to be no longer working inside the party.