Lawrence Gonzi needed to deliver one of his biggest speeches of this legislature to date when he faced a large crowd of loyal Nationalist Party supporters at the Floriana Granaries on Thursday. The Prime Minister did not so much fluff his lines – they were efficiently delivered – as not have enough in his armoury to make an emphatically convincing address.
Given it was the eve of Independence – a celebration for the nation though the sad fact is that Nationalists savour it most – and, give or take a few months, the eve of an election campaign, the significance should not have been lost on anybody. As the centrepiece of the PN’s celebrations, the speech should have been the single event that dominated the week’s political agenda. Sadly for the party, it was not.
That mantle went to the announcement by Simon Busuttil, and more particularly the speculation which followed, that he would stand as an MP.
News of Dr Busuttil’s candidature is no doubt welcome for the party. Here is a man with a proven track record on the European stage. Moreover, he is an indefatigable politician who to voters is like pollen to bees. He is a hugely popular and credible voice. Among others, he is also a potential candidate for the Nationalist Party leadership when Dr Gonzi calls it a day.
It was not entirely surprising, therefore, that news of the MEP’s candidature sparked talk of the Prime Minister making some kind of announcement that he would be stepping down. This manifested itself in the Labour media, but those in media circles are well aware that the rumblings emanated from the Nationalist Party itself.
Given that the Prime Minister moved quickly to deny the speculation when he was questioned by journalists on the Granaries last Wednesday, saying he would continue to serve for as long as he enjoyed the trust of his party, this confusion should be a cause for concern.
It would surely only serve to destabilise the Nationalist Party at this point if Dr Gonzi signals he will depart after the election whatever the outcome, especially given the words he used in Thursday’s mass meeting.
The PN leader said to the audience that “we are the change that is good for you. We are the change you want.” Those words can only have resonance if the people hearing the message are aware of all aspects of what that change entails.
They cannot get behind one leader for the election only to find they were unwittingly backing another. And a party leadership race would be suicidal at any point before the general election takes place.
Whether those words were persuasive enough to move people remains to be seen. However, the phraseology was rhetoric shorn of substance, which is a trap the PN has fallen into far too often in recent weeks.
From the circulation of almost childlike unsolicited e-mails inviting people to take a break and enjoy a good time on the Granaries with Lawrence and Kate, giving the blasé impression the party does not appreciate that some people as well as itself have been navigating difficult waters, to an unhealthy obsession to harp on about the past when what people are more interested in is the present and future, it really must ask itself whether it is doing and saying the right things to connect with the people.
Against the backdrop of stable economic performance, this has been the government’s biggest woe in recent times. There is little time left to remedy it.