Joseph Muscat’s repeated declarations before the election that, if elected, his party in government would adopt an open policy, even towards the Opposition in Parliament, was generally considered favourably.
His plan, he argued then, was to promote a leap forward in the way we do politics and in the style of administration. This must have been one of the contributory factors to the party’s victory. The message appealed to those who have been weary of the divisive brand of local politics and raised hopes of a welcome change, particularly among uncommitted voters.
However, Dr Muscat now has the challenging task of translating words into deeds. He has already made some serious mistakes. Elements within the Labour Party do not seem to be in tune with the party leadership, arguing that the Nationalists cannot be trusted. Such political undercurrents could hinder Dr Muscat from evolving the policies he talked about with so much vigour during the election campaign.
There is no question that the Nationalists in opposition would want to show their mettle in a way that will help regenerate confidence in the party, but, as has been shown in so many instances over the years, this does not preclude agreement on matters over which the two parties share common ground.
Indeed, Labour declared in advance that, save for some matters, the new Government would be adopting the Budget as drawn up by the Nationalist Administration. So far, so good, but what Dr Muscat has to keep in mind now is that his pre-election declarations have raised high expectations.
Voters may not mind if some unimportant proposals fall by the wayside, but they would most certainly hold the Labour leader to account on the most important pledges.
Every step he takes will be measured against his Malta tagħna lkoll slogan, and many voters will not take kindly to any serious deviation. In other words, he now has to measure up to the expectations he has raised.
One can easily make an analogy in this regard with what happened over the public transport reform. People were led to believe that the reform would lead to a marked improvement in efficiency of the service, only to have their expectations dashed. The reform did not match the people’s needs and that is what counted.
The lesson to be drawn from that experience is not to raise expectations too high unless one is convinced of an ability to deliver.
Some of the first moves taken by the new Administration run contrary to the new spirit Dr Muscat said he wished to introduce. In appointing a strong party man as designate head of the civil service, the Prime Minister sent the wrong message right from the start.
Other controversial appointments have not helped ease matters at all. The contrary is the case. Indeed, his attempts to counter-balance wrong moves with others aimed at hitting the right chord have been most unconvincing.
The challenge for Dr Muscat will be to resist the pressure that will undoubtedly come from quarters in his own party to accommodate Labour Party people for posts in preference to others seen to belong to the Nationalists.
Unless the Prime Minister wants to lose the popularity he won during the election campaign, he has no option other than to stick to the principles he has laid down. His government’s first days in office have been wobbly, to say the least, insofar as appointments are concerned.