Opinion: 9 Things PN Leader Bernard Grech Has Done Right
Having worked as Bernard Grech’s campaign manager at the last election, I am well aware that the leader of the Opposition has his limitations – as do we all.
When he was first elected leader, perhaps his biggest weakness was his lack of political experience, since he had never led an organisation before, let alone one of the biggest organisations in the country.
However, it has now been four years since he took over the reins from Adrian Delia in a bitter contest. In those four years, he does not seem to have had an impact on the polls but that does not mean he has had no impact on the country. In fact, it would be wrong to analyse his leadership ahead of the upcoming European elections without registering his wins over the last few years.
1. Mending bridges with Adrian Delia
There was a time not long ago when it really felt like the PN was about to split. Former leader Adrian Delia’s premature departure triggered by an uprising in the parliamentary group left a sore wound. But with a few of the right decisions, Grech helped Delia rehabilitate himself as a team-player and a key member of his shadow cabinet. This is partly also due to Delia who decided to be the bigger man. But Grech must be credited for steering the party towards healing and doing it successfully.
2. A PN victory against Vitals/Stewards
By joining Delia in his court case against the fraudulent operators who were given Malta’s hospitals, Grech made Delia’s victory a victory for the PN.
This was a hard-fought court case that had a significant impact in that it brought an end to the Vitals/Steward agreement and gave Malta back its hospitals. If Grech had left Delia to face the case alone, the result would have hurt PN rather than strengthen it.
3. Action against increased cost-of-living
Few people would give Grech credit for the recent action by the government to reduce food price inflation. However, even before the last general election, Bernard Grech had been harping on about the rising cost of living and demanding government intervention. He proposed a €4 million fund to help importers tackle increased costs.
The government eventually found another path – by forcing importers to price a few items below the Recommended Retail Price.
4. Getting the Sofia public inquiry to happen
One of the most important victories of Bernard Grech is that of the public inquiry into the construction workplace death of Jean Paul Sofia.
Without taking the limelight away from Sofia’s mother Isabelle Bonnici, Grech fought hard in Parliament to help her force Robert Abela into holding a public inquiry, which has led to a number of important resignations and a Cabinet reshuffle as well as policy changes.
5. The right choice for President
More recently, Bernard Grech registered a very important victory with the choice of President. Myriam Spiteri Debono – a former Labour Speaker who spoke out after the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia – was one of the people Grech recommended to be Standards Commissioner.
Abela had rejected this idea but proposed Spiteri Debono’s name for President after Grech made it clear he would not accept anyone who served in Joseph Muscat’s cabinets – a bold and important move that he ultimately got his way on. Similarly, Grech also got his way on the appointment of retired judge Joseph Zammit McKeon as Ombudsman despite the government’s refusal at first.
6. Winning various battles in PN’s war against PBS
One of Bernard Grech’s main battles has been against the public broadcaster which consistently acts as a notice board for government while giving very little attention to the PN.
With consistent action within the broadcasting authority and even in court, PN has won a series of victories and forced PBS to give it more and more coverage or face more fines and be forced to read out more apologies.
7. Fighting back against abortion legislation
A pro-life protest in Valletta (Photo: Life Network)
I do not agree with the position of Grech and PN on abortion, but if I did, I would be pretty satisfied with the way the Opposition mobilised against proposed abortion reforms which were then heavily watered down to the point that it is probably harder to obtain a life-saving abortive intervention today than it was before.
Ultimately, Robert Abela did not get its way on this reform but Grech did.
8. Exposing Robert Abela’s hypocrisy on EU defence spending
A very important victory registered recently was Abela vote in favour of bolstering EU defence spending after he spent weeks accusing PN and in particular Roberta Metsola of wanting to send Malta’s children to war.
From the start, Bernard Grech was effective in exposing Abela’s hypocrisy, leaving Abela without a key platform for his EU campaign. It even came to the point that Abela denied that he made statements which still appear on his own Facebook page.
9. An unrecognisable parliamentary group
PN’s parliamentary group used to be mocked for being full of dinosaurs but at the last general election under Grech’s leadership it was rejuvenated considerably. Perhaps the electorate deserves more credit for this than Grech, but he certainly sent clear signals to voters that he wanted new blood to be able to train into a strong alternative Cabinet.
Promoting people like Darren Carabott, Graham Bencini, Jerome Caruana Cilia, Ryan Callus, Rebekah Borg, Eve Borg Bonello and Mark Anthony Sammut in the Shadow Cabinet reshuffle also sent clear signals of the team Grech wants around him.
Chris Peregin is the founder and former CEO of Lovin Malta and a former campaign manager of the Nationalist Party
How do you rate Bernard Grech’s tenure as Opposition Leader?