The Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil’s approval of Salvu Mallia’s candidature for the PN at the next general election effectively revealed his and the PN’s overriding strategy.

It is a strategy which follows the premise ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ – a dangerous position to take in politics, particularly when the enemy of your enemy shares contrastingly different views to your own.

It has only been a few months since Mallia was confirmed as a candidate, but the cracks are already beginning to show.

Let’s be clear. This is not meant as a criticism of Mallia’s stance and the issues which he has raised – some of which are valid, given recent political scandals in the country.

It is, however, a reality check into the stark differences between what Mallia stands for and the principles held in high regard by the party that he is now a part of.

Mallia is a self-declared atheist, he believes that euthanasia is a basic human right and puts forward his belief that abortion is something which women – and only women – should have the right to legislate on. The argument here is not whether Mallia’s views are right or wrong but rather whether they jar with the PN’s or Busuttil’s own views. The answer is an overwhelming ‘Yes’.

What’s more, Mallia is a lone wolf who follows his own conscience regardless of the opinions of others and, crucially, regardless of who those others are. He is a visibly frustrated figure on a mission to win the nation’s attention and support, and he will swim against any tide to ensure that he does, even if it was that same tide which brought him safely ashore. If this reminds you of anyone, it should.

The parliamentary free vote system has been notorious in Malta for the extreme outcomes it tends to bring with it

The problem with making friends on the basis of a dislike for a mutual acquaintance is that once the uniting factor no longer exists, the time for awkward silences and the shuffling of feet ensues.

To be more specific, if Busuttil and Mallia manage to steer the PN to an unlikely victory at the polls next year, will their uniting cries of ‘No to Labour’s corruption’ and ‘Let’s save our country from the mob’ lose their relevance if Muscat is sitting on the Opposition benches?

Then what? What happens when other pressing issues arise?

For Nationalist supporters, it’s all well and good for Mallia to come out in full force against the Prime Minister and his government’s conduct, but what will happen once the (inevitable) disagreements start to arise between Busuttil and Mallia?

A campaign can be built on catchy slogans, and while those slogans are being belted out at mass meetings, all songs are sung from the same hymn sheet. Governing, however, is a different animal altogether. It carries with it a lot more substance – the ingredients of which seem to stem from different roots for Busuttil and Mallia. Of course, there is the argument that a political party can consist of persons from different backgrounds with differing viewpoints. It is an argument I myself am not opposed to.

However, the parliamentary free-vote system has been notorious in Malta for the extreme outcomes it tends to bring with it: party instructions which prohibit free voting or, at the other extreme, situations in which free votes carry enough weight to bring down whole governments. Hardly an ideal scenario for Busuttil and Mallia.

The short-sightedness of the PN’s decision to welcome Mallia with open arms is looking increasingly glaring with every day – and every fresh Mallia statement – that passes. The bigger picture seems to indicate that troubled waters lie ahead. The small victory that the PN may have enjoyed during Mallia’s fallout with the current government is quickly evaporating, and in its place will remain the lingering feeling that Mallia could yet prove more harmful than good for the PN’s cause.

Tim Attard Montalto is reading for an MSc in business management with marketing at Edinburgh Napier University.