Roberta Metsola must decide where her future lies

Change for change’s sake is not a motivation for people to switch political allegiance at election time.

This is why anyone arguing that the next general election should not be won by the Labour Party because a lack of alternation in power is bad for democracy is mistaken. People will not vote the PL out of government simply because they have been in power for so long. Democracy has never worked like that. 

For all its problems and defects, of which it has many, the Labour Party remains the go-to party because people still feel it offers the better alternative after 12 years in power. The financial standing of many middle-class families has improved. The party has managed to attract new faces in top roles even when change did not seem necessary.

No individual problem is small enough for government to ignore. It has addressed the needs through legal and administrative changes of marginal communities such as LGBTIQ+ persons, women and men beset by infertility problems, cohorts of people who had suffered historic income injustices because of workplace changes. And even where its economic policies fell short, such as the free-for-all in the labour market for third country nationals, it is now adjusting to try and fix the mess. 

Of course, there was the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the Vitals hospitals scandal, the corruption linked to the payment of disability benefits and driving tests, and other cases of a dubious nature involving public officials. These will remain etched in popular psyche and will come back to haunt the government when things go wrong but on their own are not a strong enough incentive for people to simply jump ship. 

To convince people to switch political allegiance, change must have a purpose. Change must have a story that tells people how they will be better off. Change must be driven by people who inspire hope in a better future. 

If any of these ingredients are lacking, people prefer to stick to the devil they know rather than take a ride with someone they are uncomfortable with. 

And herein lies the problem with the Nationalist Party – it fails to excite, inspire and reassure people that it can offer a better and more serene life. 

Despite Bernard Grech’s best efforts to foster unity after the Adrian Delia debacle, in moments of tension the cracks reappear. Individual MPs feel they can and should dictate the party’s agenda with unfiltered outbursts on social media, giving the impression of a ship with more than one captain. 

The message conveyed to an observing electorate is that the PN cannot be trusted to govern itself let alone the country. To make matters worse, Grech’s trust rating has continued to diminish. 

Today, the PN lacks a clear purpose. It has no story that convinces people they will be better off if it were in government. And it lacks leadership that can inspire hope. 

MaltaToday’s April survey results published last Sunday have undoubtedly shaken the PN to its core. The outcome shows that any gains made over the previous months were largely the result of the PL’s failures rather than its own successes. 

The PN is stuck in a rut and the only person who can rise above the pettiness and command widespread respect within and outside the party is Roberta Metsola. She instils hope, is a natural with people, and more importantly can connect with a middle class that is no longer bound by political tradition. 

We do not agree with all she stands for. She is a conservative at heart but undoubtedly, Metsola would serve as a catalyst to make the PN a modern European centre-right party that understands the profound changes Maltese society has undergone and proposes a way forward that delivers peace of mind, better incomes, justice, secure communities and the strengthening of individual freedoms. 

Metsola is arguably Malta’s most successful export on the European stage and she carries an aura of success. She is what the PN needs today if the party harbours any hope of turning the tide by the next election. 

But Metsola must decide whether she wants to come back to Malta to breathe new life and lead the political party that gave her the platform to achieve European success or whether she prefers the Brussels lifestyle at the risk of not having a PN to call home.