The elections that were held in Italy last weekend have yielded a comfortable majority for Berlusconi’s centre-right coalition, which, I hope, will also be converted into a stable government capable of addressing the reforms which our closest neighbour so dearly needs. Apart from the obvious news value of the story, the electoral result the different parties in Italy achieved should also have implications in the Maltese context.

As we await the final 12 Maltese MPs to be elected after next Thursday’s casual elections, the electoral result in Italy should serve as food for thought especially for all those who are currently engaged in trying to reform the different party structures operating in Malta. The result is in fact already showing two main tendencies: The death of the traditional conception of left-wing politics and the birth of new, slimmer, more efficient party structures.

Rainbow Warriors are dead

The most interesting prediction which is making headlines so far is the dismal result which Sinistra Arcobaleno (Rainbow Left) seems to be set on achieving. Not only did the collection of ex-communist and green politicians fail to disrupt the plans of Italy’s Democratic Party to start moving towards the centre but it is now still trying to achieve the national quota in order to elect its candidates in the Italian Senate. The Italian Socialists are also facing the same problem.

One of the main reasons for such a result may be the countless contradictions which the same politicians – this time headed by Fausto Bertinotti – uttered during the previous legislature. They are in fact held responsible for the failure of a government which didn’t manage to address the needs of workers and pensioners.

This shows that left parties today shouldn’t be confined to invoking the plight of the workers or even more abstract themes as social justice as they oppose anything which they don’t propose. The politics of denial and the politics of collectivism which used to co-habit in Italian far-left now have to be divorced.

Substance is at the (well-organised) Centre.

Instead, most Italians have chosen two politicians who prefer to adopt a pro-active approach at doing things, who speak in more practical terms, and, furthermore, have managed to adapt themselves to the shift in political rhetoric from the collective to the individual far better. In fact, the Italian vote confirmed that when voting, a citizen will choose according to what’s in his best (financial) interest rather than what’s in the best interest of society. It seems that the fight for civil rights - which represent a sense of civic duty and concern for society - which the Italian far-left upholds will be under-represented in the next Italian Parliament.

One should also examine whether individualism has reached such an extent as to whether people are failing to realize that others are in the same boat with them and thus whether notions of solidarity shouldn’t top the hit-parade any longer.

What is more remarkable in this electoral result is that the new substance which a sector of politicians is preaching is accompanied by party structures which are very active at the grass-root level of society and are composed of very slim boards at the helm. Furthermore, as can be seen by Berlusconi’s successful collaboration with Brambilla’s Circoli della Liberta, the new political parties are based on close collaboration with civil society. The method of choice of the Democratic Party Leader, Walter Veltroni, also gave a positive head start to the new party into these elections following the ruinous experience of its predecessors – primarily Ulivo and Margherita – in the previous government.

Change – It can be done

All these factors show that any reform which is needed on all our political parties following the March 8 result should not stop at a change in faces or in ideas, but should also encompass changes in the way party structures are built.

Although this challenge is more felt in the MLP, the Nationalist Party shouldn’t think it’s safe from reform simply due to its electoral success. The two traditional Maltese parties should aim at reforming their structures in order to be able to better respond to the needs of the grass-roots and do so more efficiently. They should be prepared to work closely with civil society and be more transparent with society at large. They should be more willing to focus on individuals, not groups; practical proposals, not far-fetched goals or ideals.

Our political parties, especially the Malta Labour Party, should be encouraged by the pragmatism that was shown by the centre-left and centre-right political actors in Italy when they decided to totally scrap their arrangements and start new political parties. They had the courage to face the fact that failure was coming from within their structures, and not from outside sources. The MLP should follow suit and embark on a serious discussion of the internal party structures since the current structure has failed to yield the party an electoral majority since 1976 (save for a short twenty-two month stint in 1996).

The Italian experience has shown that true change happens – at least as far as the electoral result is concerned - when it’s constant and holistic. It would be useless if our parties were to stop at a change of face at their key roles. Structures and visions should be put to question. The concerns of the individual voters are to be listened, and acted upon quickly. Will our parties rise up to the challenge and provide us with renewed parties that will continue to be relevant in the face of the changing demands of society?

Matthew Mizzi is a third year Law student at the University of Malta and Development Officer of InSite, the student media organisation,

www.insite.org.mt .