Gift horse runs loose for Labour
It would be too much to say that the Labour Party is looking a gift horse in the mouth with the way it is reacting to Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando’s manoeuvring in the Nationalist ranks. But it does seem to be the case that it is not riding along as carefully as it should.
The PL has certainly exploited the Nationalist ruptures. Its no confidence motions resulted in humiliation for the cockiest of the ruling ministers, with Austin Gatt just about saved by the bell in the form of the Speaker’s casting vote. They also acquired the scalps of former minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici and Malta’s Permanent Representative to the EU, Richard Cachia Caruana.
In doing that, Labour acted as any other opposition party would have and certainly no worse than the Nationalists did in 1998 when Dom Mintoff went on his rampage. Ironically, its political successes laid the ground for more self-inflicted embarrassment for the Nationalist Party. That presented itself in the unbalanced way the party reacted to the outcome of Labour’s successful no confidence motions.
It was as if Dr Mifsud Bonnici’s ministerial death was lamented on the occasion but swiftly forgotten a couple of days afterwards. That was in sharp contrast to the way the Prime Minister reacted to the loss Mr Cachia Caruana, which threw him into a frenzy of grief.
One man was disposable, the other irreplaceable.
The gift horse galloped on with the way three disaffected Nationalist MPs behaved, particularly in reaction to the party’s decision that they would not be allowed to contest the next election. That decision was hollow to the extent that MPs Jesmond Mugliette and Dr Pullicino Orlando had already crossed themselves out of the election.
It was less hollow in the case of Franco Debono who, rather remarkably, expected to be allowed to contest again. But, at least, the decision showed belated decisiveness. Yet, instead of cooling things down, that raised the heat to an almost unbearable level, especially in the form of Dr Pullicino Orlando. He unleashed astonishing vituperation against Mr Cachia Caruana, even requesting the PN to throw him out, guru qualities and all, for having allegedly acted in cahoots with members of the Labour government of 1996-98.
Surely that was the time for the PL to take a step back to pat the gift horse gratefully and to watch the spectacle of the new PN shenanigans as mere spectators. Labour had everything to gain and absolutely nothing to lose by doing that. Instead, Labour somehow get involved between the PN and Mr Cachia Caruana. Master spinner that he is, the Nationalist guru must have been secretly delighted with this development.
On one hand, he evidently feels he can defend his patch and, anyway, Labour’s reiteration of alleged requests by him in 1998 do not amount to disloyalty to the PN or its leader. On the other, it was an unexpected opportunity to spin attention away from the disarray within the PN ranks and, also, from the problems of the government as such.
The outcome is that attention has been shifted to Mr Cachia Caruana and Dr Pullicino Orlando and, so, away from the Nationalist government. Beats me, as an old observer of the game of politics, what Labour are gaining out of all that. Rather, I would think that the Labour team are wasting time and energy required for attention elsewhere.
For instance, The Sunday Times election survey has it that a majority of new voters and of voters in the 18-24 years age group intend to vote for the PN. Granted, Labour has a handsome lead overall among those who have declared their voting intentions. But, surely, nothing can be allowed to chance in a game as fickle as politics.
Will Labour’s insertion between Dr Pullicino Orlando and his party have plucked one new voter or any voter under the age of 24 from the intention to vote Nationalists? Similarly, regarding voters aged 62 and over, a majority of whom also intend to vote Nationalist.
Gift horses are rare and require special handling. It is not unknown for them to harm those apparently receiving the gift.
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Gerald Montanaro Gauci
Jul 16th 2012, 19:50
All very true. As someone of some eminence once said the business of the opposition is to oppose but the recent conduct of the troika of government members now apparently in disgrace sullies the general public esteem and respect of the whole political class.
John Saliba
Jul 16th 2012, 19:19
Lino Spiteri a few days ago berated the LP for playing the winning cards of beheading CMB and RCC with PN votes. Now he pats Labour on the back but finds fault in riding the waves of the latest stage in the PN's internal strife. What will he say tomorrow when the new gift horse gallops forward to a PL victory ? Only Lino knows. If Lino is everything surely he isn't a politician. When he was one we have only blank pages in his history. He just have not got the nose to sniff politics and when he was a minister....let's forget all about it. So he'll do better to stick to writing short stories. I have yet to see one of his predictions come true.
GL Calleja
Jul 16th 2012, 17:04
Mr Spiteri another interesting article although I have to bring up one point and that is that Austin Gatt was not saved by the bell. Austin Gatt was saved by Franco Debono for reasons unknown to us. Why did Franco Debono bring up the no confidence vote against Austin Gatt in the first place, and then he decided to ABSTAIN? There is a lot more to it than he is letting us know. Something or someone stopped him from casting that vote and only He knows? I still think that Franco Debono did not abstain because he chose to, but because of other unknown reasons and that is a mystery to us all, so far? I think that the powers that be had something to say about that " ABSTAINING". This is my take and I think I am right on this one.
m. borg (slm)
Jul 16th 2012, 16:18
Mr Spiteri I believ you have heard of multi-tasking, that is what PL is doing.
You will notice Joseph mentions gonzipn's problems only briefly and only on the line that gonzipn has to get itself together and govern or call elections if it can't.
As regrads Vella and Mizzi's participation, they simply supplied some information for gonzipners to chew on and reflect,
You would agree that a assaulting a castle you'd still have the cooks churn out meals for the soldiers.
victor caruana
Jul 16th 2012, 15:58
I always considered L. Spiteri a naive politician. He could have made a very good technocrat but always a poor politician.
Alfred Farrugia
Jul 16th 2012, 15:57
It appears that Mr. Spiteri is writing too soon – he evidently cannot read the future. Nothing of the current mess within the Party in government would have surfaced were it not for the process that took its course in the House of Representatives concerning the relevant votes.
As a result of such votes we now know how the PN acted differently – as noted by Mr. Spiteri – between the forced resignations of a Minister and an envoy.
We also know that it was wrong to burden a Minister with the portfolio of two Ministries – the problem is that the Minister suffered the consequences, not who took the wrong decision in the first place.
We have also learnt that for 4 years – between 2004 and 2008 – Malta was not at the EU table when the most important security discussions were taking place. We have also just learnt that the decision of the Board of Directors of Air Malta concerning the purchase of the British Aerospace Avro RJ70s was unanimous, and that when the contract was signed in 1994 – not 1996 – a very important clause went missing!
Nobody really knows how the current mess within the Party in government is going to influence sections of the electorate in the coming election. But one thing is clear for those who have an independent mind to think. The Party in government has proven that it is incapable to deal and govern with different elements of a “catch-all” party. A catch-all party cannot invite everybody to join it and then ban those who disapprove of some of its decisions, which could very well have been wrong!
Leo Said
Jul 16th 2012, 18:35
quote: [A catch-all party cannot invite everybody to join it and then ban those who disapprove of some of its decisions, which could very well have been wrong!]
A very, very, very appropriate opinion.
On another note: I do not think that Mr. Spiteri is reading the future. More possible might be that Mr. Spiteri is thinking about his own specific plans for the future.
E. Mifsud
Jul 17th 2012, 23:55
Are you referring to Muscat's PL when you said: "A catch-all party" in the last sentence?
E Bonnici
Jul 16th 2012, 14:59
I think this current political crisis within the PN is more of a Trojan Horse to the PL than a Gift Horse.
victor bonello
Jul 16th 2012, 19:00
i fear so too...
Eddy Privitera
Jul 17th 2012, 11:39
Was Dom Minitoff in 1998 a Trojan Horse or a Gift Horse for the PN ???
E Bonnici
Jul 17th 2012, 16:03
@ E. Privitera.
In 1998, there were no PN members involved directly with Mintoff's decision, contrarily, they stood aloof of the whole situation - in Maltese we say 'qaghdu galleria'. So yes, Mintoff was a Gift Horse for the PN definitely.
If on the other hand, the PL gets embroiled in the internal PN conflicts, then yes, the Horse will end up as a Trojan one.
Evarist Saliba
Jul 16th 2012, 10:59
Lino Spiteri had criticised the attitude taken the Labour Party vis-a-vis Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici and Richard Cachia Caruana. The first motion he considered as an over-reaction being not worthy of a non-confidence vote and the second as tiotally inappropriate.
The Labour Party ignored him and they proceeded to achieve their aim. Whether this will gain them votes at the next election is another matter.
Now, he warns them again that their collusion with Jeffrey Pullino Orlando Smith is wrong. Will they listen to him? No.
The undecided voters, as well as the young ones, will give their verdict in due course.
ANTHONY PAVIA
Jul 16th 2012, 16:59
I would confirm agreement to the last sentence, though not with what it implies. I would propose that the intelligent, unbiased voter or the informed young voter would not be taken in as easily with exotic, unfulfilled promises, nor would they be weighed down with so many chips.
Paul@ Micallef
Jul 16th 2012, 10:41
The handling of the RCC crisis by the PL could have been handled more wisely if the comments and declarations by Karmenu Vella and Joe Mizzi were never made, or at least at the stage they were made, giving the PN the opportunity to shift the guns from their own fortress on those of the PL. The nearer the election will come the more the PL will have to watch what is being said from its own spokesmen and take the lesson that sometimes it is better to keep the mouth shut.
Leo Said
Jul 16th 2012, 10:17
The Labour team in Malta would be wise to note the reactions of the Social-Democratic Party in Germany with reference to internal party strife in the CDU/CSU, in the FDP and in Die Linke.
The Labour team in Malta would be wise to seek some kind of coaching from the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.
If I am informed correctly, Dr. Joseph Muscat seems to be well acquainted with Martin Schulz, the social-democrat President of the European Parliament, who is also a member of the SPD Federal Executive.
Please choose the reason of your report below: