Deputy leader effect

Labour may still be leading comfortably in polls but could this change if the focus turns to the parties’ deputy leaders? Christian Peregin reports.

After a year of bleeding, the Nationalist Party is pinning most of its hopes on newly elected deputy leader Simon Busuttil, who performed well on Xarabank last week when debating with Anġlu Farrugia (PL deputy leader for parliamentary affairs).

Do you think Where’s Everybody will be holding a debate with the PN’s Paul Borg Olivier?

Dr Farrugia’s performance has been widely criticised, especially after he failed to articulate Labour’s proposal to reduce utility rates – giving the impression he did not know whether water rates would also come down.

Whereas in 2008, the PN pioneered the presidential-style campaign by pitting Dr Gonzi against former Labour leader Alfred Sant, it is now expected to push the PN’s Gonzi-Busuttil combo against Labour’s Muscat-Farrugia.

Historian and one-time Labour general secretary Dominic Fenech says the PN is focusing on this strategy because the GonziPN slogan of 2008 had now become “tired”.

Although it is the PN’s right to tailor their own strategy, Prof. Fenech fears Public Broadcasting Services will be used to the party’s advantage as he felt happened last week with the deputy leaders’ clash on Xarabank.

The debate was the first of its kind for Malta and the producers have already announced their intention to hold another closer to the election.

“This shows that Where’s Everybody and PBS are pursuing the PN strategy,” he says, pointing out that he did not watch the Xarabank debate and had no intention of doing so.

Debates should be thematic not rank-based, and Where’s Everybody should not be the one to decide, he adds.

“Labour does not have a general secretary but if it did, do you think Where’s Everybody will be holding a debate with the PN’s Paul Borg Olivier? No, because he is not good and the PN does not stand to benefit.”

Labour, Prof. Fenech says, should insist that Broadcasting Authority stick to its position that political parties can choose who should represent them, with the exception of party leaders.

But former PN president Frank Portelli says Xarabank is just a commercial programme and if people want to see a clash of deputy leaders, then it should be provided. “Just because this has not been done before does not mean it shouldn’t be done. Otherwise we will never have progress,” he says.

Dr Portelli sees the Xarabank clash as having exposed many important distinctions: Dr Farrugia, a former police inspector, came across as “interrogatory” and “fake” while Dr Busuttil was “fresh in ideas”.

“A deputy leader is meant to be almost as good as the leader,” he says.

What the parties say

Labour has stood behind Anġlu Farrugia, despite his widely criticised performance.

“If GonziPN wants to present a duo to cover its broken promises and try to hide the weaknesses of its leader, we are presenting a united team,” a spokesman for the party said.

The spokesman said Labour had a united team of “strong” and “competent” candidates knocking on doors and explaining to people why this country needed a change of direction.

“Our team will be ready to discuss policy and ideas that will be presented in our manifesto during the electoral campaign.

“This election is a choice about the future of our economy and your family’s economic well-being. A choice between a promise-breaking Prime Minister and a leader committed to accountability and action to make our economy fairer for all.”

Meanwhile, the PN pledged to put people at the centre of its campaign, dismissing suggestions that everything will be centred on Dr Busuttil.

“The PN campaign will have people – their priorities, and aspirations – at its core, and as its primary focus. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, deputy leader Simon Busuttil and all PN candidates shall seek to explain our social and economic vision to ensure a better future, and a better quality of life for workers and their families.”

The PN spokesman added that this would be a change for the better, “not a throwback to the past with the likes of Anġlu Farrugia, Alex Sceberras Trigona, Karmenu Vella, and Leo Brincat – Dr Muscat’s potential Cabinet members.”

PBS insists it is acting in the nation’s interest

In holding deputy leader debates PBS is not trying to benefit the PN but is “just creating space for discussion”, according to editor and head of news Natalino Fenech.

“This is the usual spin against PBS,” he told The Times, pointing out that PBS did not choose the deputy leaders of the parties.

“Party deputy leaders are very high ranking officials. They are deputy prime ministers or potential deputy prime ministers and viewers should be able to hear what they have to say.”

The decision to hold a debate was taken before PN elected its deputy leader, he pointed out.

Xarabank wanted a deputy leader clash because this was the “most recent political development”.

Mr Fenech said Xarabank was repeated on Monday evening after there were “several requests” by people who missed the show on Saturday.

It was also repeated in the morning to replace the rerun of Dissett, which had to be cancelled on Saturday.

“Xarabank is usually aired Fridays but a special edition had to be broadcast on Saturday after the Labour Party did not keep its promise and failed to send its deputy leader for Friday’s debate,” Mr Fenech said.

He stressed that PBS was against the Broadcasting Authority’s decision to leave political parties free to choose which guests to send to programmes. “This system may indeed work well for the political parties, who can decide who to show and who to hide, but PBS opposed this as this is definitely not in the viewers’ interest.”