This morning, PN leader Simon Busuttil must get noticed for the right reasons. He must ensure that his speech, at the Nationalist Party’s political convention, is an unqualified success. The task at hand is for Busuttil to sell himself as a credible Prime Minister-in-waiting. Busuttil’s convention speech should dominate the national conversation for days to come and serve as a much needed turning point for the Nationalist Party. He must not waste this priceless opportunity.
Despite the welcoming changes to its structures, the Nationalist Party has so far failed to make significant inroads with disgruntled Nationalists and middle-of-the-road voters who at the last general election deserted the party in droves. Less than three years before the next general election, Busuttil has yet to persuade the electorate that he has the qualities needed to lead Malta.
This morning he has an excellent opportunity to start changing peoples’ perception. Time is quickly running out for the new PN leader to turn things right. That shows how important today’s convention speech is. Busuttil needs to convince that, despite predictions to the contrary, a one-term Opposition for the Nationalist Party is doable. Busuttil cannot let today’s opportunity slip away.
The Nationalist Party is at the crossroads again. Two years after a severe hammering at the polls, and less than three years away from a general election, it is pertinent for the party to choose the right direction. Anything short of that will spell disaster for the Nationalist Party.
The way I see it, Busuttil’s speech has to meet five tests:
First and foremost, Busuttil needs to set out his stall as leader by ramming home the message that the Nationalist Party has the right policies for a fairer society and a better economy where hard work pays. Of course, he cannot and is not expected to explain in detail how he will deliver on this, but his speech needs to articulate his vision and lay the foundations for the future.
Second, he has to show that he is able to give moral direction. People can’t look to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat for moral leadership. It is a mammoth task for Busuttil. What he is up against is ‘mass clientelism’, the result of a Prime Minister who is shamefully populist. Labour’s couldn’t-care-less attitude is already reaping mediocrity and lawlessness thanks to Muscat’s populist way of doing politics.
Standards have gone down at the highest levels, from people who are expected to lead by example. Only last week, we learnt that a mobile police station inaugurated by Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia has no planning permit yet – only a temporary clearance from the planning authority. Honestly, how low can they go?
Busuttil needs to demonstrate that he is able to give a human dimension to politics
Third, Busuttil needs to demonstrate that he is able to give a human dimension to politics. The PN leader has often been criticised that his style of leadership is totally alien to a Mediterranean culture, which prizes above all else passionate and authoritative leaders. This criticism is often a bit overdone, although, admittedly, at times Busuttil does give the impression that he seems more comfortable discussing policy with academics and business leaders than in the company of normal voters.
Busuttil needs to change this perception. He needs to show more heart. Busuttil would do well to read Drew Westen’s book on of the role of emotion in politics, The Political Brain. Westen harps on the need for political leaders to show empathy, passion and emotion if they are to strike a chord with the electorate. Busuttil definitely needs to work on his image before 2018, starting from his speeches, which need to be more passionate.
Fourth, he needs to demonstrate that he is determined to shift his party outside its comfort zone. Two months ago, addressing the Nationalist Party’s Independence mass meeting, Busuttil described his party as ‘secular’. That was a brave declaration, but now he needs to walk the talk and enshrine it in the party’s statute. Maybe this morning he will declare his willingness to do so. Busuttil needs to squeeze the stuffiness out of the PN – expressing his regret for the massive blunder committed by his party when it abstained on the civil unions vote would be a good start.
Fifth, he needs to articulate its vision and show that he and his party are able to face the long-term challenges facing our island, namely: the need for a sustainable health sector, an efficient civil service, zero tolerance to illegal development, an efficient energy sector and a clear-cut position on the integration of migrants and third country nationals.
After spending a year telling voters how Muscat’s Labour is not keeping its promises, which is often true, the task for the PN leader this morning is to outline how they’d be better off under a new Nationalist government. He needs to present a blueprint for Malta.
The hope in today’s convention is that it will prove to be the political game-changer that Busuttil and the Nationalist Party so badly need.
frankpsaila@gmail.com