Clyde Puli questions PN’s exclusion strategy that delivered new faces but not new votes

The Nationalist Party’s strategy to side-line old-timers may have worked to elect new faces to parliament but it failed to win over new votes, Clyde Puli said.

In a third instalment on Facebook in which he reflects on the election result, the former PN secretary-general said the PN’s strategy did not leave the party in a stronger position.

“While the party gained a number of new MPs, it did not gain new votes,” he said, pointing out that the PN lost 12,000 votes from its 2017 result. “This did not put the party in a stronger position than it was in yesterday.”

Puli said the election campaign did not simply give space to new people, which he believes was a good idea, but ignored all the rest, “with the exception of a very small nucleus of MPs”.

“Not all those who were ignored were toxic or expired, but even if unintentional, that was the message that was conveyed [to the electorate] and that was the label given to people who contested and still had a lot to give,” Puli said.

He noted that this strategy left its impact since in every district bar the 2nd and 3rd where Stephen Spiteri was elected, the first-elected PN candidate was someone who did not contest the 2017 election.

“Many supporters were given the impression that the simple formula was – renew and win,” he added.

Puli did not contest the election and withdrew his candidature on the first day of the electoral campaign, just like Kristy Debono, Mario Galea and Claudio Grech. The exodus of four ex-MPs was a blow to the party’s campaign.

READ ALSO: Nationalist MPs Clyde Puli, Kristy Debono and Mario Galea will not contest

But Puli did not blame the new candidates for the PN’s poor showingin the election, insisting that his reflection was not even an argument against change. But he said there was need for deep reflection within the party on the type of change it wanted.

“The party needs to hold a profound discussion without ambiguity on the change it wants to see,” he said, adding that change was defined by the “scope, direction and dimension”.

Puli then went on to list elements of change the party had to beware of: “If what needs to be changed is not changed, or who needs to change is not… the PN will stagnate. But if renewal only means more smiles and tapping on the shoulder, and less substance and experience, the party will become poorer. If renewal means a change in faces and nothing else, it will just be cosmetic and superficial. If renewal means a change in faces but not in attitude it will simply leave things the same. And if by renewal is meant a change in basic principles, it will represent the metamorphosis of authenticity into falsity.”

The former MP said he was optimistic that through serious dialogue the PN could find the answers to the challenges it faces. He insisted this was the time for introspection.

“The general council could serve as an opportunity for constructive dialogue that defines change upon which the party can rebuild itself,” Puli said.

Then PN leader Adrian Delia with Clyde Puli (left) and Kristy Debono (right)

Puli had been a close ally of former PN leader Adrian Delia and served under him as secretary-general in a period characterised by internal turmoil and factionalism. However, Puli had been the subject of strong criticism back in 2019 after the PN suffered a catastrophic loss in the European Parliament election, and went on TV to argue that the result could have been worse since surveys were predicting a heavier defeat.

READ ALSO: The PN's implosion explained - A blow-by-blow account of what happened after the 2019 EP election

Delia was eventually forced into a leadership contest by rebel MPs in 2020, who rallied behind Bernard Grech. The rebellion was sparked by dismal survey numbers.

The PN suffered its third consecutive general election drubbing a fortnight ago, losing with an even bigger margin than 2017.

Both major parties experienced a reduction in votes but while the PL had 8,000 fewer votes than 2017, the PN lost more than 12,000. This left the PL with a 39,000-vote lead over the PN.

The PN will now have to hold a leadership contest and so far, only the incumbent Bernard Grech has said he will contest.