Saved by a woman

As soon as chief strategist Chris Peregin’s contract with PN expired, PN immediately turned to its old-fashioned and draconian and conservative schemes. During the last election, several PN heavy-weights took a beating and some of them like Jason Azzopardi didn’t even get elected. One of the conservative men who barely got elected after losing most of his popularity is Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, the son of Ugo Mifsud Bonnici and the grandson of Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici (il-Gross).

Basically, Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici didn’t have a chance to get elected to parliament, even with the casual elections. In order to make way for his royal highness, Janice Chetcuti, a new PN candidate gave up her seat obtained by the casual elections so that Carmelo would get elected instead. Janice Chetcuti will now get elected to parliament thanks to the gender corrective mechanism. However, there is a catch in all of this. 

Due to the fact that Janice Chetcuti will be getting elected with the gender corrective mechanism, she will be technically giving up Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici a seat in parliament at the expense of another woman: in this case at the expense of Emma Portelli Bonnici, a young PN candidate who is in favour of the decriminalisation of abortion. Basically, we have one woman less in parliament because the gender corrective mechanism was used, in this case, to favour a man. And what man; an old conservative, dumb, shallow criminal lawyer whose only claim to fame is his surname.

I don’t understand PN’s fixation with dynasties. The Mifsud Bonnicis are as dead in the water as poisoned fish. Carmelo has also a track record of impressive failures as a minister in Lawrence Gonzi’s cabinet and he was basically the man who re-instituted in Malta an oppressive censorship regime in the arts. What better way for PN to show it has changed its ways?

It’s a pity Chris Peregin is no longer with PN in an official role. PN had the chance to renew itself and it was doing this slowly and gradually by bringing in new candidates and people into its fold. With Chris Peregin gone, PN seems to be overly motivated to return to its conservative past. Good luck with that. As much as Labour is corrupt and disastrous to our country, voters have made it absolutely clear that they don’t want a government from the dark ages. Good luck trying to win elections by pushing your most idiotic and conservative people.