A fragile consensus

Nobody serious I know predicted a landslide victory for any party during the last election. We now have a government which will represent fewer voters than it did during its last Administration. In mathematical and democratic terms, this is a weaker government than the previous one. It is obviously not a reassuring situation where a government has to deal with foreign European and other structures while wielding such a tenuous political support. Usually, good results in international relations are easier to obtain when the foreign negotiating partner knows that the government is solid and enjoys the support of a high percentage of the population.

Lawrence Gonzi's Cabinet is not the new Cabinet he promised. At the same time, it is not necessarily in harmony with the expectancies of re-elected Nat ministers who have obtained more votes than others they will look up to as their ministers. This will obviously create a situation of tension where a good vote catcher will play second fiddle to a political upstart. This will not help reinforce the government either, as any quarrel with a popular candidate who is not trusted with any serious responsibilities will make the government shake. Evidently, popular candidates will see through any attempt at making them non-ministerial "special consultants" without being much consulted or with ideas that are hardly ever listened to - let alone put into practice.

The government thus has every reason to try and reinforce itself to withstand international doubts about its real representativity and internal trade unionistic and other pressures. How can the government go about reasserting itself to obtain better democratic strength? Not easy. It can indulge in increased arrogance and intransigence. But the country has had enough of that already. It can aim at creating some sort of national government. But Nationalist Party hawks will resist that - especially those hugging a quasi far-right mentality.

Upon election, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the man who inspired the PN's billboards, invited a few intellectuals from the opposition to help him form a more solid government. This cannot take place in Malta as the Maltese right, especially the quasi far right, believes that not belonging to the right places you automatically among those with a low intelligence quotient - as contrary to Europe. Also the Maltese right believes that the left is too sensitive to social problems for its ideological comfort.

An ultimate solution (I carefully avoided the expression "final solution") may be left. It is a well known fact that the Maltese right finds it extremely difficult to trust anybody with the slightest leftist smell in any post of responsibility - contrary to what had happened between 1996 and 1998 when the government of the time trusted capable people who did not agree ideologically with it.

Meanwhile, PN secretary general Joe Saliba has declared that a party for all the Maltese has been elected. Without an absolute majority, this is difficult to fathom. However, with a more dedicated affinity with democracy, a semblance of better majority representation may be put into practice. It is an uncomfortable position for a government to know that more than 50 per cent of the population has not given it the green light although a relative majority has placed it back in administration - albeit in a weaker position.

At this stage I think that an exercise could be embarked upon whereby the government tries to adopt some elements of opposition proposed policies. To start with, the Whistleblower Act must be adopted as soon as possible and a stronger dedication to intolerance of corruption practised on a daily basis. Ministers chosen must not reflect only the desires of 49 per cent of the population but as much as possible of popular sentiment. Thus, new ministers, as promised, must be among those closest to the centre and as far away as possible from the far right.

In this manner, some kind of national consensus would have been timidly arrived at with a chance of working without stumbling.

Dr Licari teaches psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics and geolinguistics at the Department of French of the University of Malta.