The quality of leadership

Unlike Portia's mercy, leadership does not drop like the gentle rain from heaven upon the party and the country beneath. The quality of leadership must combine many strains. Some have to be there before the race starts, many are developed in the reality incubator after one is chosen as leader.

The starting requirement may be described as the right apparatus of the mind, to borrow the term from Keynes' definition of economics. That apparatus has to encompass native intelligence to sustain an ability to grasp the essence of issues that are not within one's range of specialities. It must also incorporate a "killing instinct".

The ability to compromise is part of politics, the art of the possible. Yet, strong leaders invariably disdain any hint of compromise and, if at all, consider it as a very last resort when they have not managed to get their way. That leads to another strain which, again, may be borrowed from Keynes' definition: A good leader must have a particular "technique of thinking".

The contest for the leadership of the Nationalist Party has not been couched in such terms. The three contestants have talked with different emphasis about seven virtues - values, vision, decisiveness, team building, determination, honesty and ability to win.

In their replies to their interviewers carried in this newspaper yesterday, they gave the final push to their self-projection as incorporators of all of those virtues. But which one has the best-suited apparatus of the mind?

That was not fully revealed in the replies they gave to their interviewers (of whom Vanessa Macdonald was the most incisive, towards John Dalli, and Jesmond Bonello the most opinionated, towards Lawrence Gonzi. Herman Grech kept balance, with Louis Galea).

The interviews confirmed that the efforts of the Nationalist Party bigwigs to present the contest as one between iodine look-a-likes, excluding all controversy and any confrontation, was much less successful than they had hoped for. The two touted favourites, Dr Gonzi and Mr Dalli, shot barbs at each other that were not even thinly veiled.

No harm in that: A leadership contest is not a sleepy game of Bella Donna. Dr Galea, faithful to his lower-key, higher-calibre projection managed a statesmanlike ability not to stoop to try to conquer. Also an acceptable approach, which will raise his standing, whoever of the other two wins.

The interviewers followed a prod from the Labour leader. They wanted to know whether any of the contenders would withdraw the immunities given in the case of the knifing of the PM's personal assistant. None, however, deemed it important to ask the three wannabees whether they would remotely reconsider the decision to desecrate and damage the priceless Hagar Qim and Mnajdra site through waste disposal.

Nor did they ask them to describe, ever so briefly, what new policies they would propose to attempt to reinvigorate the flagging economy and make ours a fairer and more humane society.

The interviews did confirm one clear conclusion. The contest has been dominated not by the three who want to be leader and prime minister but by the outgoing holder of the two posts, Eddie Fenech Adami. Throughout their campaign, and in their interviews, the contenders to succeed him have bent over backwards to show they believed he should have stayed on. That - if not fully cast in his mould - they will not be cast much out of it. While pitching towards the future, the contenders spent a great deal of time peering over their shoulders at the past.

So, will there be an answer this evening to Nalizperla's accompanying cartoon? It is unlikely that any of the three will get the required majority at first draw. But if today's outcome yields to one of them more than 50 per cent of the total preferences the runner-up will probably bow out.

Whether the identity of the new PN leader is known tonight or later the first test of his mind apparatus and technique of thinking will come with the formation of his first Cabinet as prime minister and whether he can use a surgical knife. Talking tough towards the opposing political party is easy. The really demanding part starts with being tough within one's own quarters.