TIME TO SCRAP THE NEW NATIONALIST LOGO AND RESTORE THE “MADUMA” HERITAGE
By Joe Vella
Back in the 1970’s, a sports commentator by the name of Lewis Portelli would appear on Malta’s only television station after each football match involving the national team. Inevitably the team would be trashed on the field, but Portelli, serving the role of the nation’s number one apologist would announce to the huddled nation “that there is no need to redden our faces at what happened. We are just a tiny little country playing against massive nations of millions of people.” It never seemed to occur to him that it didn’t make a difference whether the national team lost by one goal or double digits. A loss is a loss with zero points in the bag.
If he were the spokesperson for today’s Nationalist Party, I don’t know what he would make out of it. Once again, the Nationalist Party has suffered disastrous election results.
The party pinned its hopes on new logo, new anthem, new this and new that. It failed. The new logo must be tossed to the trash bin. The party should bring back its traditional “maduma” that withstood the test of time. That design is almost 100 years old. It deserves to return as the official logo.
In the thick of the election, the party called the logo update a “clear departure”. This claim does not hold. The new logo keeps the shield, and the crown. But the square frame was dropped. Edges were rounded. No seismic break with the past took place.
The party said the rounded contours created a “fluid and dynamic appearance”. They did not. The change made the shield softer and less commanding. A party symbol should look strong and resolute. The older version with its sharper lines carried more weight. Modern trends do not always improve political emblems.
The gradient blue backdrop was praised for adding “depth and vibrancy”. It did not. Gradients often print poorly. They can appear cheap on posters and flags. The vibrant colours of the old logo with white, red, and black were bolder and more consistent. They suited every medium.
The rebrand was said to mirror the “nifs ġdid” slogan of renewal. The election proved otherwise. Softer edges and a gradient brought no fresh air. The party lost the election once again. Voters did not respond to the new look. The visual message failed to connect.
The timing with the youngest leader was highlighted as clever. Youth and a modern logo were meant to reposition the party. They did not. The results kept the party chained in the opposition quarters. The strategy looked like image management rather than real change.
The electorate was told the redesign was “more than a cosmetic update”. Sorry, it was cosmetic. The party now knows the cost. With defeat behind it, the leadership must admit the truth.
The old logo should return. It has served the party through generations. No matter what I or others may think of the party, many Nationalists take pride in that heritage. It stands for strength, tradition and national identity. It is not a trend to be discarded.
Nationalist politicians have long valued it and the national colours white and red embedded within it. The party’s roots date back to its founding in 1926, and the old “maduma” logo to one year thereafter. The traditional shield has been a badge of honour for the party for nearly a century. It represents resilience and commitment to Malta. The old emblem stood firm through every battle. The current leadership should never have softened it for fashion. The “maduma” is among the fourmost recognized logos in Malta.
The new logo must go. The “maduma” must be restored. It is time to honour the party’s roots. Short-term trends have no place in a symbol that has endured for almost 100 years. The Nationalist Party owes its members and supporters that respect. And, once again, it takes a right-wing blog to represent the members and supporters’ inalienable interests and beliefs.