I was under the impression that the political parties' passiveness during the festive season would be extended for a further couple of months following the shocking news that the Leader of the Opposition had to make a sudden visit to the operation theatre at Mater Dei Hospital.
He would have certainly needed time to regain his mental and physical fitness - a period of adequate convalescence - before gearing up for the electoral campaign. That would have saved us from starting the New Year suffering from the election fever. I must admit it was only my impression because the sequence of events took a different route.
The first medical bulletins issued by the surgeon gave us the good news that the Labour leader was positively responding to the treatment. The surgeon stuck to his professional ethics and had only released short statements without going into the details of his findings. This has also created a certain amount of controversy within the media circles. Observers, expressing their disappointment rather than their curiosity, stated that prominent public figures should not enjoy the privilege of demarcation between their personal and public life. A politician's private life, with no exceptions, could affect his/her public performance; hence its relevance to the public in general.
But this was not enough. In his latest medical updates the surgeon, who also happened to be a Labour Party candidate, added some partisan spices in his comments reaffirming that "definitely Dr Alfred Sant would be leading the party throughout the next election campaign". This was not a lapsus. Intentionally or not, the surgeon wanted to convey a straight-forward message. But who was he targeting?
Politically, it won't make any sense to reassure the Nationalists that they could carry on with their strategy and call the election as planned, as if it was business as usual. It would have been politically risky for the MLP to encourage the PN or, for that matter, the Prime Minister to call the election presumably on the second or the third week of February. In the prevailing circumstances, the general perception is that the PN stands a very remote chance to be re-elected if the general election is held beyond the end of March.
Surely, the surgeon who is well known for his professional integrity and ethical manners did not want to take any political mileage out of this unfortunate event. That would have been tantamount to abuse of power. So why did he utter these words of wisdom? Was it a morale booster? Was he symbolically reaffirming that his medical intervention was more than successful? Was he expressing his personal view? Or was he instructed to say so?
The worst scenario for the MLP could have been that of approaching the general election without a stable and strong leadership. The political price would be too onerous should the MLP have to appoint a new leader at this time. Leadership contests have always brought about uncertainty and instability during the process. Conflicts and frictions are synonymous with political parties' internal elections. New leaders would need quite some time to settle down. Strategies would have to be revisited. The MLP could not afford to go through such a saga.
On the other hand, in the absence of an assurance that the leader would be fully recovered on time, the MLP had to prepare a contingency plan. Should they elect a new leader before the general election? Should they appoint an interim leader and formalise the appointment after the general election? Was there really a sense of apprehension on the part of the opposing parties to enable the MLP to get back on track? Would it be feasible to initiate this debate within the party at this time of pre-electoral campaign with all its pros and cons?
Alfred Sant is still away from the public eye, yet he is not totally inactive from party politics. His fighting spirit is very evident in his regular uninterrupted writings on the press and his recent appearances on televised programmes presumably recorded just before entering hospital. The rest is entrusted in the hands of his deputy who is just filling the gap until the next party general meeting, which is expected to be held later on this month. That would be the day when Dr Sant's comeback is celebrated by his supporters and his adversaries alike. Because, let's face it, the PN could not afford to confront the MLP without Dr Sant at the helm.
It would certainly ease the headache the Prime Minister had to suffer recently in assessing the right moment to announce the big day "in the national interest". The PN strategists would breathe a sigh of relief because they would be able to point their guns in Dr Sant's direction once again and, perhaps, with more vigour. It's all done in the name of politics! But on a human level it would be the day whereby all citizens would show their support and empathy with Dr Sant as much as they have shown so far since the bad news was spread around the country.
Considering all this, one tends to understand why, by his own words, the surgeon decided to put an end to possible internal speculation and external rumours at the same time!
matyas@maltanet.net